The typical thrills of the first weeks of school are tempered this year by the near-panic of parents, teachers and district officials guarding against an onslaught of swine flu.
“They’ll be bombarded with washing their hands,” said Rosalind Johnson, a Prince George’s County school board member.
“I think we all need to brace ourselves for a major epidemic,” said Pat O’Neill, vice president of the Montgomery County school board, whose college-age daughter is recovering from the knockout illness.
The flu, officially referred to as the “2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus,” has spread worldwide, infecting Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and prompting World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan to warn Saturday that it travels four times faster than other viruses and claims young adults in good health as 40 percent of its fatalities.
A recent report by the White House Council of Science Advisors said that as many as 90,000 people could die from the flu this year, compared with 30,000 in a normal flu season.
» Stay home when sick: Students should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, even if they are using antiviral drugs.
» Student or staff who appear to have a flulike illness should be sent to a separate room until they can be sent home.
» Wash hands frequently with soap and water.
» Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Use a shirt sleeve or elbow if no tissue is available.
» Schools should routinely clean areas that are used frequently.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Vaccinations will be available at some of Prince George’s schools when shipments begin arriving in October, Johnson said. D.C. public schools are likely to offer vaccinations as well, according to a spokeswoman for the city’s health department. Montgomery County is considering in-school vaccinations, but has yet to adopt a final plan.
In Virginia, more than 2,000 organizations have registered to provide vaccinations once they become available, including many colleges and universities, according to Phil Giaramita, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Health. Local K-12 districts, however, are not among the registrants, he said.
Steven Salzberg, a biologist at the University of Maryland, said it wouldn’t be a bad idea for districts to ready their nurses’ stockrooms.
“That’s how the polio vaccine got through,” he said. “There are a lot of people who fall through the cracks when you leave it to individuals. … [Schools] can provide much more rapid diffusion.”
Between now and October, when the first shipments of vaccine are expected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, thousands of children face hundreds of classroom hours in close quarters. And even the most persnickety teacher cannot stop every sneeze.
“Teach your child to cough and sneeze into the inside of the elbow,” says a letter from Alexandria City schools.
“Teach your children not to share personal items,” says a similar one from Fairfax schools.
While washing hands, “sing the Happy Birthday or Row, Row, Row Your Boat songs twice,” says a letter from D.C. Chancellor Michelle Rhee.
And schools are telling parents to keep their kids home if they are running a fever.
Students newly schooled in cleanliness, however, should not take flu fear to mean that schools will shut down at the first touch of fever.
Unlike last spring, when Prince George’s closed three elementary schools and Montgomery closed Rockville High after one student came down with swine flu, districts are following the CDC’s lead and planning to keep schools open unless “a significant number of faculty or students are absent and the school cannot function.”
Examiner Staff Writer Bill Myers contributed to this story. [email protected]
