Swine flu is school worry

Those guidelines only emerged on Friday. Some Georgia schools were already in session, and most of the rest start this week.

Among the recommendations: Most schools should remain open if they have outbreaks of swine flu — a change from last spring, when 700 schools nationwide closed at the first sign of the virus. Also, the decision on school closures should be left to local school and health officials.

The state health department distributed its own “interim” school guidelines Friday.

Matt Cardoza, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said the CDC’s timing has left the state running to do some planning.

“It’s always nice to get information earlier,” he said. “We’re relying on the guidance of CDC.”

CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said the agency understands how some think the guidelines are coming out at the last minute for Georgia, but he said crafting them has been an ongoing process of learning more about the virus and coordinating with health and education officials.

Experts are anticipating a nasty flu season with the customary seasonal flu, which kills about 35,000 Americans a year, circulating along with the swine flu, which has killed 353 people and hospitalized 5,500 in the U.S. since its emergence in the spring.

Health officials are keeping a close eye on swine flu in the schools, since schools can become a major transmission point for a virus that spreads in the community.

In addition, the flu, also called the novel H1N1 virus, has particularly targeted young people, as opposed to the seasonal flu that often strikes hardest at older people.

Many schools already have influenza pandemic plans in place, stemming from concerns over an avian flu a few years ago.

Many also have put in place plans to distribute sanitary instructions, keep parents informed of developments and identify and isolate sick children, school officials said.

Georgia is getting ready, said Dr. Rhonda Medows, commissioner of the state Department of Community Health.

Swine flu was expected to go away during the summer and surge in the fall. But it defied those expectations, hanging around throughout the summer. The prevalence of flu cases prompted some summer camps to close and others to delay opening.

Some parents worry that camp scenario will carry over to the schools.

“It’s scary,” said Denise Proctor, a Woodstock mother with two boys, ages 10 and 11, both of whom are especially susceptible to viruses and infections. “Unfortunately, parents who work send their sick kids to school. And they are in a confined space coughing and sneezing.”

Causing further concern, school begins without a swine flu vaccine in place, as a vaccine is still being tested and won’t be available until mid-October.

Georgia is among the first states to start school; most states start around Labor Day. Consequently, Georgia might play the role of guinea pig regarding the effects of the new influenza virus.

“We have not achieved the level of preparedness that is ideal, but we have done a lot,” said Dr. Pat O’Neal, the state’s emergency preparedness chief.

Actions are under way, if in a patchwork fashion.

DeKalb school officials have placed 400 hand sanitizers on poles at main entrances of schools and classrooms to help cut down the spread of the virus.

Gwinnett schools are passing out fliers to students and staff that outline healthy habits to prevent swine flu infections and recommend flu vaccinations.

Fulton County schools will offer the swine flu vaccine to students and staff, said spokeswoman Susan Hale. School officials are working with the county health department on where and when the vaccine will be made available.

Marietta schools are considering providing staff with the swine flu vaccination.

Since the swine flu virus is new, experts are not sure how it will progress. Some are concerned it could mutate and become more severe. Right now, the symptoms echo the general effects of seasonal flu.

In a joint Aug. 3 memo to Georgia’s school superintendents and district health officers, the state chiefs of health and education didn’t offer firm guidelines on when schools should be closed.

Instead, they said schools may close due to a “significant” number of staff and student absences. Also, some schools may close based on the recommendation of health officials to reduce the spread of the virus.

“We strongly recommend that you plan for both types of closure scenarios by working closely with your public health officials,” the memo said.

O’Neal, the state emergency preparedness chief, said, “We will be discouraging school closures.”

The Georgia Department of Community Health would lead the effort for what would be the largest vaccination campaign in state history. The vaccinations would be voluntary and the state is expecting to offer them for 1.7 million public schoolchildren, 115,000 teachers, 1,200 public school nurses and 700 private schools.

State health officials are recommending that schools be used as vaccination sites once a vaccine for the flu is made available in the fall.

In addition to schools, vaccination sites could include doctor’s offices, clinics, child-care centers, pharmacies, fire stations and workplaces, said DCH spokeswoman Joye Burton. The state is expecting about $10 million in federal grants to help pay for the effort.

The Department of Community Health will soon start a campaign to encourage people in high-risk groups — school-age children, pregnant women, health care workers — to get vaccinated, according to the Aug. 3 memo.

School districts should consider reporting any decline of 10 percent or more in daily attendance to local public health officials, the memo said.

Should the virus start spreading, schools should also consider “social distancing,” which could include spacing student desks farther apart, canceling some school assemblies and generally limiting group gatherings, the memo said.

The CDC school recommendations released Friday suggested that schools set up a “sick room” for people who show symptoms at the school, and that school nurses wear face masks and plastic gloves when dealing with people with symptoms.

Georgia’s institutions of higher learning are taking varied approaches.

At the University of Georgia, health clinic staff have received training to spot the symptoms of swine flu.

A student who walks in showing symptoms will be given a mask and sent to the urgent care clinic, said health center executive director Jean Chin.

Chin said the college is working with health officials to dispense swine flu vaccine.

Georgia Tech has installed hand sanitizer dispensers around campus buildings, and it plans public service announcements for the campus radio. Sick students will be asked to leave the campus and recover at home, if possible.

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Swine flu advice

Health officials are preparing for a fall outbreak of novel H1N1 flu, also known as the swine flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which offers swine flu information online at www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu , has issued guidelines to help protect you and your child against the flu:

● Frequently wash you hands and use hand sanitizers.

● Wash common surfaces often.

● Use good cough etiquette. Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing. Cough into your sleeve or into a tissue.

● Avoid people who are sick. If you are ill and think you might have the flu, stay away from others.

● Keep a child home from school until 24 hours after he or she is free of fever, without the use of fever-reducing medication.

● If possible, only family members who are not sick should care for infants.

● Avoid touching your face. Germs can be spread when you touch something that is contaminated and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth.

● Practice good health habits. Eat healthy, get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids and avoid stress.

Source: CDC

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How we got the story

Reporters at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution interviewed state education, health and emergency preparedness officials. The reporters also interviewed metro Atlanta county education and health officials, as well as parents and PTA leaders.

The reporters also reviewed pandemic influenza preparedness plans for counties and school districts. Officials for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several universities and private schools were also interviewed.

Staff writers Laura Diamond, Kristina Torres, Gracie Bonds Staples, D. Aileen Dodd and Nancy Badertscher contributed to this article.