McDowell schools prepare for swine flu

Flu season comes every year, some strains more severe and some less so. But the outbreak of swine flu, or "H1N1" has health and school officials scrambling to prepare.

The swine flu -- so called due to its having been first identified spreading from swine in Mexico and the United States in March and April of 2009 – is now classified as a "phase 6 worldwide pandemic" by the World Health Organization (WHO). Phase 6 means widespread human infection, spread human to human, and crossing national borders.

The designation refers to the spread of the disease, not necessarily its severity. The illness is rarely fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The CDC reports that, between April 15 and July 24, states reported a total of 43,771 confirmed and probable cases of swine flu infection. Of these cases reported, 5,011 people were hospitalized and 302 people died.

The greatest concentration of cases have been among people between the ages of 5 and 24, the CDC reported.

McDowell County Schools' Associate Superintendent Mike Murray is in charge of coordinating policy toward the flu in schools. He's been studying up on it all summer, and said it is likely there will be flu in the new school year.

"Experts say that it is a matter of when, not if, another influenza pandemic will sweep the globe," he said. "In fact, many have said that we are overdue for another event. If this does occur it will ultimately result in school closures.

"We're treating this like a tornado drill," he added. "If and when it strikes us, we'll have a routine in place. We're planning for the most drastic, worst-case scenario, so we'll be prepared.

Most years, Murray said, there's an outbreak of seasonal flu, and schools are accustomed to dealing with it. The swine flu, he added, is different in that it is very contagious and those at risk are school age.

The illness is present in the region, and it appears only a matter of time before it begins to spread in McDowell. When that time comes, Murray believes, slowing the spread of the flu is the best weapon.

This includes common sense rules about cleanliness. Hand washing, especially before and after handing doorknobs, restroom facilities or grocery carts, can make an enormous difference.

One thing that has surprised him, said Murray, is that hand sanitizers that contain less than 60 percent alcohol are ineffective at stopping the spread of flu.

An infected person must be kept isolated, he said. It may be sudden and inconvenient to stay home, but isolating flu patients is the key to stopping the spread. Each parent has a moral obligation to keep their sick child home.

If the student has a temperature over 100 degrees, cough, sore throat, body-ache, headache, fatigue, vomiting or diarrhea, they must not be sent to school.

"They're not going to get better between your door and the bus stop," he said. Principals and faculty have been instructed to be vigilant about sending students home if they appear sick.

"I realize that many of these symptoms are the same as seasonal allergies or a common cold," he said, cautioning staff not to overreact, but to watch for fever closely.

He also instructed them to repeatedly remind students to wash their hands regularly and thoroughly.

The CDC states that an infected person can spread the swine flu mainly by coughing and sneezing. The virus spreads air-borne or by the patient's touch, leaving it to be picked up by others who come after.

Aside from hand washing, it is important, the CDC added, to refrain from touching one's moth, nose or eyes, common points of entry into the system for the virus.

When sick, experts urge, cough or sneeze into the sleeve, not the hand.

The CDC states that a person can spread the swine flu for a full day before getting sick and for several days after.

Murray said it is crucial to keep the sick student home for a full 24 hours after the fever has cleared – without using fever-reducing drugs.

A vaccine is being developed and is expected to be widely distributed as well as the seasonal flu vaccine. Health officials in Washington have asked public schools to serve as community vaccination sites when it is available. Murray said McDowell schools are open to that idea.

But the vaccine is not ready yet. The CDC has stated it hopes the vaccine will be ready "in mid-October," but there is no more definite word.

"Communication is vital with this," said Murray, "and we want to be completely transparent. Our primary interest is the safety of the students and staff." Updates will be provided regularly, he said, via The McDowell News, the schools' Web sites, radio and Connect Ed calls. Health Department officials might even make use of the Connect Ed system to get the word out quickly.

If it becomes necessary, he said, schools can and will be closed. The administration will not hesitate to close schools in the event of widespread outbreak.

The CDC describes swine flu, or "novel H1N1" as follows:

"The symptoms … include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting," read a report on the CDC's Web site.

The severety if illness "ranged from mild to severe," the statememnt continued.

An unusual feature of swine flu is the population most at risk. With traditional seasonal flu, children under 5 and seniors over 64 are most at risk. Studies have indicated that about one-third of seniors have antibodoes against the swine flu.

Seventy percent of swine flu patients have one or more high-risk conditions for seasonal flu, including pregnancy, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and kidney disease, the CDC stated.