US no longer advising schools close for swine flu

[kepdawg]

US no longer advising schools close for swine flu

By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer

ATLANTA (AP) -- U.S. health officials are no longer recommending that schools close because of swine flu.

The government last week advised schools to shut down for about two weeks if there were suspected cases of swine flu. Hundreds of schools around the country have followed that guidance and closed schools.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday that the swine flu virus had turned out to be milder than initially feared and the government decided to change its advice. Sebelius says parents should still make sure to keep sick children at home. Those with flulike symptoms should stay home for seven days.

The number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States is now over 400, with hundreds more probable cases.

[pirate4state]

LMAO

[Sweetwater Red]

Looks like Sweetwater was ahead of the curve?


http://www.reporternews.com/

Sweetwater man is Nolan County's first 'probable' swine flu case
By Emily A. Peters (Contact)
Originally published 08:47 a.m., May 5, 2009
Updated 08:47 a.m., May 5, 2009



A Sweetwater man who visited relatives on the Texas Gulf Coast recently came back with an illness that health department officials announced Monday is a “highly probable case of swine flu.”

The patient is a parent of a student who attends a Sweetwater elementary school, but the child’s test came back negative for probable swine flu and he has not been in class since Tuesday.

That’s why Sweetwater Independent School District schools will remain in session, said SISD Superintendent Terry Pittman. Sweetwater ISD has about 2,300 students in seven schools.

“There is no confirmed case in any student in Sweetwater ISD,” Pittman stressed. “Student safety is the No. 1 thing, but we aren’t going to overreact and close school if there’s no confirmed case in our schools.”

This is the Big Country’s first case of probable H1N1 virus discovered outside of Taylor County. The only other positive test results came from 10 students under the age of 11 in Merkel schools. In response, Merkel ISD and nearby Trent ISD have closed schools through May 11.

Health officials report all 11 patients are doing well after taking anti-viral drugs.

The Sweetwater man “has done a good job” of staying in his home with his family in attempts to contain what health officials have suspected to be the swine flu, said Grant Madden, Nolan County’s emergency management coordinator.

The Sweetwater-Nolan County Health Department has sent a total of three flu samples to a state lab in Lubbock, and the other two tests came back negative, Madden said. The one that tested positive for “probable” swine flu has been sent to the Centers for Disease Control, where it waits with Big Country’s other 10 probable cases for final confirmation.

East Ridge Elementary Principal Mike Marlett said he’s not sure if the patient’s child is from his school, but he hasn’t had any parents indicate they might keep their students home from school today and attendance in recent days has been normal.

“We’ve had lots of concern in the community,” he said. “We’ve been working to communicate with parents how we are cleaning our schools and how to stay sanitary. Our main focus is to keep everybody healthy. Other than that, it’s business as usual.”

Kyle Lawrence, of the Lawrence supermarket chains, just dropped his children off at three different Sweetwater schools this morning.

He hadn’t even heard the news about possible swine flu in Sweetwater, but he said he supports the decision to keep schools open.

“It sounds very reasonable to me .... If this student hasn’t been in school, he hasn’t had contact with students, then I’m not in the least bit concerned.”

[Keith7]

good i'm tryin to graduate

[Electus Unus]

There are over 100 million people in the US but only 400 cases...I think Swine flu was blown out of proportion. The only death was an infant who was not even a citizen of the US.

[44INAROW]

Originally posted by kepdawg
parents should still make sure to keep sick children at home. Those with flulike symptoms should stay home for seven days.


DUH :doh: :doh: which means folks should just use COMMON SENSE.. think of the time, trouble and aggravation that could have been prevented:nerd: :doh:

[pirate4state]

Originally posted by 44INAROW
DUH :doh: :doh: which means folks should just use COMMON SENSE.. think of the time, trouble and aggravation that could have been prevented:nerd: :doh: That would be too easy!

[kepdawg]

Originally posted by 44INAROW
DUH :doh: :doh: which means folks should just use COMMON SENSE.. think of the time, trouble and aggravation that could have been prevented:nerd: :doh:

Yeah I could go to the state track meet if people hadn't overreacted!

[kepdawg]

U.S. officials no longer recommend school closures; Texas reports 2nd swine flu death

03:14 PM CDT on Tuesday, May 5, 2009

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News
eaasen@dallasnews.com

Texas school and health officials scrambled this afternoon to determine how new federal swine flu guidelines that no longer recommend school closures would affect tens of thousands of students across the state.

The news comes the same day Texas reported a second death from swine flu. Few details have been released but officials say the woman lived in Cameron County, along the U.S.-Mexico border, and had other, chronic health conditions.

It is the first death of a Texas resident and the second death in the U.S. A Mexican toddler died last week in Houston.

The number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States is now over 400, with hundreds more probable cases. As of Monday, Texas reported 40 confirmed cases, trailing behind New York's 90 cases and California's 69 cases.

The government last week advised schools to shut down for about two weeks if there were suspected cases of swine flu to prevent the spread of the virus. Hundreds of schools around the country, including entire school districts in Fort Worth and Lewisville, followed that guidance and shut down.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday that the swine flu virus had turned out to be milder than initially feared and the government decided to change its advice. Sebelius says parents should still make sure to keep sick children at home. Those with flulike symptoms should stay home for seven days.

North Texas school districts and health departments said this afternoon that they are aware of the federal government’s revised guidelines, but none has yet to announce whether it would reopen sooner than expected.

The Texas Education Agency plans to meet with state health officials this afternoon to discuss the changing federal guidelines, spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe said. TEA plans to issue a recommendation later this afternoon.

“We want to make sure we’re on the same page about what direction we give schools,” she said.

Whatever it recommends, TEA doesn’t have the authority to force districts to re-open.

Districts that decide to open early will need to give their communities as much advance notice as possible, Ratcliffe said. Some students and parents may be out of town or might not be following the news.

Ratcliffe anticipates some schools might stay closed, while others will open earlier than anticipated. Some schools are waiting to receive flu test confirmations, while others are still cleaning their buildings

“If the re-openings go the way of the closings, it will be all over the map,” Ratcliffe said.

Fort Worth ISD is basing its closure on guidance from the Tarrant County Health Department, school spokesman Clint Bond said. For now, Fort Worth schools will reopen May 11.

“We didn’t take our original guidance from the CDC,” Bond said. “We are acting upon guidance from the Tarrant County Health Department. They tell us what direction we should go in.”

A Tarrant County health department spokeswoman said the federal government’s revision may be discussed at a briefing at 3 p.m.

Denton County officials say they are also evaluating the changing federal guidelines.

[44INAROW]

Originally posted by kepdawg
Yeah I could go to the state track meet if people hadn't overreacted!
last night I jokingly told Crabman that he sure went to alot of trouble to get the track meet changed from May 15th and 16th so he could go to his son's graduation from A&M :D :D :D

[kepdawg]

Originally posted by 44INAROW
last night I jokingly told Crabman that he sure went to alot of trouble to get the track meet changed from May 15th and 16th so he could go to his son's graduation from A&M :D :D :D

Crabman should be punched in the face for changing it!

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by kepdawg
Few details have been released but officials say the woman lived in Cameron County, along the U.S.-Mexico border, and had other, chronic health conditions.




Yeah, let's make sure we close down all schools for the rest of the school year, just in case. :doh:

[sinfan75]

Originally posted by Electus Unus
There are over 100 million people in the US but only 400 cases...I think Swine flu was blown out of proportion. The only death was an infant who was not even a citizen of the US. Try 300 million and you can see how really overblown this is. They need to do this with the regular flu everybody gets I mean geez.

[coach]

this oink flu was so over blown....i just laughed evertime someone brought it up

[Trashman]

Not trying to fan the flames but......In meetings with our healh department last week they told us that we were at the end of the flu season and that this "pandemic" would be short lived. The real worry they say will start next fall when we have another wave of swine flu.:( Hopefully the CDC will have a better vaccine by then.:thinking: