At least two local schools will be shut down for up to two weeks in an effort to limit the spread of the H1N1 virus or swine flu.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley ordered the closure of any public or private school that has a student who has been diagnosed as having a “probable” case of swine flu.
The move means both Rockville High School in Montgomery County and Montpelier Elementary School in Prince George’s County will close their doors for now and stop all extracurricular activities. As of Friday, two other schools, one in Anne Arundel County and one in Baltimore County, also were ordered closed.
Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Ulder Tillman asked Rockville High students to stay home to limit any transmission of the disease.
“As much as possible, students, do not go to the mall and congregate,” she said.
Health officials said Friday that a 21-year-old special needs student at Rockville High School was listed as having a “probable” case, as was an 8-year-old student at Montpelier Elementary.
As of Saturday afternoon, there were 11 “probable” cases in Maryland and two in the District. There were three confirmed cases in Virginia.
Montgomery County spokesperson Mary Anderson said there were no updates on the county’s flu cases as of Saturday afternoon.
O’Malley said he made the decision to close the schools based on new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which recommended that affected schools stay closed for a minimum of 14 days because children are likely to be infectious for about seven to 10 days after the onset of the illness.
Montgomery County and state officials said they were aware of the hardships closing schools placed on families, but said the shutdowns were necessary out of “an abundance of caution” for children’s welfare.
“Schools, we know, are very good vehicles for education, certainly, but also for transmission,” said Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Deputy Secretary Fran Phillips.
The CDC is recommending that parents, students and teachers whose schools are not affected “begin to prepare” for a possible school closure.
“These decisions may be made very quickly based on emerging disease in the community,” the CDC said on its Web site.
