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Another Pueblo school is closed because of an outbreak of H1N1 swine flu. Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School will be closed until Wednesday of next week because of high absenteeism attributed to the flu.

Schools closed Friday:

* Rocky Mountain Classical Academy--both campuses--Colorado Springs
* James Irwin Elementary School--Colorado Springs
* Cesar Chavez Academy--Pueblo
* Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School--Pueblo
* Manzanola--both schools
http://www.newsfirst5.com/news/schools- ... swine-flu/

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx? ... &catid=188

update

PARK COUNTY - Students in Fairplay got an unplanned fall break on Tuesday after school officials shut down four schools for the remainder of the week due to a high number of absences related to flu-like symptoms.


The Park County School District says Edith Teter Pre-School, Edith Teter Elementary School, Silverheels Middle School and South Park High School were shuttered until Oct. 19 due to the high number of absences.

Charles Soper, the superintendant of Park County Schools, says about 55 out of 120 students were out sick from the high school and 84 out of about 220 students were out from the elementary school.

"One of the big issues was: We didn't have enough staff to cover classrooms," Soper said. "We had 18 staff members, primarily teachers, out yesterday. We had to cancel and combine classes."

Additionally, 40 percent of the teachers either did not show up to work on Monday or showed up but found they couldn't continue to teach.

A posting on the school district's Web site cited "a suspected H1N1 flu outbreak" and a "concern for the public health" as reasons for the closures.

"It's been a combination of things," Soper said. "We do know we have the H1N1 flu up here, but there's also the seasonal flu, bronchitis, strep throat, pneumonia, it's just a combination of - the perfect storm."

Over the weekend, it was homecoming for South Park High School, but the football team was unable to field about 50 percent of its players. They still decided to play, but suffered a bad loss. (so there was likely a homecoming dance that weekend, too? What a memorable homecoming! )

Additionally, school officials say a school board meeting planned for Tuesday evening in Guffey was also cancelled, along with a pair of public forums regarding new school facilities. They say those meetings may be rescheduled.

All athletic events were cancelled for the affected schools, but Soper says those events will be rescheduled.

All four schools are right next to each other and some share a cafeteria.

According to Soper, a custodial crew was giving the schools a thorough cleaning, focusing on common areas and things like doorknobs and drinking fountains.

Soper says when everyone comes back next week, he doesn't want the buildings to be the reasons the outbreak could keep going.

"Our custodial crew is cleaning all of the commonly touched surfaces, paying special attention to them - railings, doorknobs, water fountains, tabletops, desktops, so on and so forth," he said.

Officials say the closures affect about 600 students.

An earlier-than-normal wave of influenza cases led by the swine flu has left at least 14 Coloradans dead this season and put 691 in hospitals, state health officials said Wednesday.

All 14 deaths and at least 350 of the hospital cases are blamed on the swine flu, or H1N1 strain, said Lori Maldonado, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

‘‘I think it’s hitting early because H1N1 has been around,’’ Maldonado said. ‘‘Last year, we didn’t have our first hospitalization until November.’’

The number of hospitalizations based on swine flu is likely to rise, she

said. But so far, the swine flu has been no more severe than the seasonal flu, she said.

‘‘There’s always a range. There are some who are mildly affected and some who are severely affected,’’ she said.

Infants, children and teens up to age 18 have been hit especially hard, accounting for nearly 45 percent of all flu hospitalizations in Colorado and six of the 14 deaths.

Nationwide, 81 children have died from swine flu, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week. The CDC includes children 17 and under in that category, while Colorado puts the line at 18.

Thirteen Colorado schools have closed at some point this fall because of flu, but some have reopened.

All four schools in La Junta closed for the week starting Wednesday.

‘‘I would say districtwide, we were at a 40-percent absentee rate,’’ Superintendent Jim Sullivan said, calling that a conservative estimate.

He said the schools are being cleaned and will reopen Monday.

The Swallows Charter Academy, a K-through-10 school in Pueblo West, canceled Tuesday classes because of flu and was already scheduled to be closed the rest of the week for conferences, said Loretta Vasile, the school secretary.

‘‘There was such a mixed bag - strep, fever,’’ she said. ‘‘We don’t know how many were actually flu. We just said, ‘You know what, we’re not going to have school today.’ ’’

Classes are scheduled to resume Monday.

Three schools in Fairplay have also closed. Officials there didn’t immediately return a call.

The H1N1 vaccine is being distributed to states by population, and Colorado has received 110,000 doses so far. More will be ordered as it becomes available, said Joni Reynolds, head of the state immunization program.

Reynolds estimates Colorado needs about 2 million doses just to cover its at-risk population, which includes pregnant women, health care workers, schoolchildren, children’s caretakers and adults with chronic conditions.

Reynolds said the first batch of swine flu vaccine has been distributed by population to county health departments and major hospitals. Health care workers who give flu vaccinations to others will get the highest priority.

Reynolds said demand for the seasonal flu vaccine has outstripped supply but more is on the way. She said there’s still plenty of time for people to get it before the worst of the seasonal flu hits, usually in winter months.

Reynolds said she hasn’t gotten her own seasonal flu shot yet.

‘‘I was at the doctor’s this morning and they didn’t have any,’’ she said.


FLU IN COLORADO


Colorado flu statistics through Oct. 10, released Wednesday by the state Department of Public Health and Environment. Officials say some cases may not have been reported to the state yet.

Flu-associated deaths by age group

0-18: 6

19-24: 0

25-49: 3

50-64: 2

65+: 2

Total: 14

Colorado flu-associated hospitalizations by age group

Under 6 months: 47 (6.8%)

6-23 months: 43 (6.2%)

2-4 years: 58 (8.4%)

5-18 years: 160 (23.2%)

19-24 years: 60 (8.7%)

25-49 years: 172 (24.9%)

50-64 years: 100 (14.5%)

65+ years: 51 (7.1%)

Total: 691

Counties with the most flu cases:

Denver 162

Arapahoe 112

Adams 104

El Paso 62

Weld 55

Counties reporting no cases: Alamosa, Baca, Chaffee, Clear Creek, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Dolores, Fremont, Gilpin, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Kiowa, Lincoln, Logan, Mineral, Montezuma, Ouray, Park, Phillips, Rio Blanco, San Juan, San Miguel, Sedgwick and Washington.

http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/ ... 100989.txt

Flu returns to Kremmling school with a vegeance

More than 60 PK-8 students out sick
In the last three days, more than 60 students from the West Grand PK-8 building have been absent due to illness, according to superintendent Kevin Chalfant. The majority of those absences have been related to the H1N1 flu virus.

“This appears to be a second outbreak,” said Chalfant.

“Last Thursday and this week our numbers have spiked, with teachers and staff getting the flu as well,” Chalfant said.


Several Colorado schools, including those in Fairplay, have closed due to a lack of teaching staff, but the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended that districts close schools only as a last resort.

Grand County Public health nurse Gail Van Bockern added that [color=#FF80BF]any reports that a person can get the H1N1 virus multiple times are false. [/color] ???

http://www.skyhidailynews.com/article/2 ... ofile=1067

In the last three days, more than 60 students from the West Grand PK-8 building have been absent due to illness, according to superintendent Kevin Chalfant. The majority of those absences have been related to the H1N1 flu virus.

“This appears to be a second outbreak,” said Chalfant.

The virus initially started spreading around the West Grand school district early in the school year after a volleyball team visited Glenwood Springs, said District nurse aide Pam Music during a school board meeting Oct. 14.

Things quieted down after the initial outbreak but, “Last Thursday and this week our numbers have spiked, with teachers and staff getting the flu as well,” Chalfant said.

About 20 percent of the lower school was sick in recent days, with the second grade being hardest hit. Only six students out of 32 were in attendance, Chalfant said, and one of the teachers was out too.

Chalfant recommended that the school board consider canceling Friday school to help mitigate the spread of the virus and to give custodians more time to disinfect the building.

The maintenance department has been using disinfectant bombs throughout the building to clear the virus, which can remain active airborne and spread through the ventilation systems. The bomb also works to disinfect manipulative learning tools in the younger classrooms.

“The incubation time on the virus is 1-5 days,” Music said.

The school board asked Chalfant to hold off on canceling any programs to consult with medical professionals about whether it would have the desired impact.

The school board said it would also consider possibly closing down the entire district if necessary.

“If we are going to do this, we should be proactive all the way,” said school board member Dave Jones.

Not everyone agreed that closing school for a day or even a week is the solution: “It just seems to be that we're all sticking our fingers in the dam, and it's already broke,” said board member Dean Billington.

Several Colorado schools, including those in Fairplay, have closed due to a lack of teaching staff, but the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended that districts close schools only as a last resort.

The virus also appeared to be spreading into the eastern end of Grand County this week, with new cases being reported by several private daycare centers and preschools as well as the East Grand School District.

Vaccines and the flu

Meanwhile, Grand County Public Health (GCPH) has started administering the first doses of the H1N1 vaccine, said public health nurse Gail Van Bockern. These initial doses, which are administered nasally, will be given only to health care workers and children ages 2–4.

“I got mine and had no side affects,” Van Bockern said.

The nasal vaccine can be obtained by calling GCPH at 725-3288 to schedule an appointment or, in limited quantities, through local doctor offices and pharmacies.

By the end of next week, GCPH is hoping to get its first doses of the shot vaccine, which will first be administered to pregnant women and babies six months to two years, Van Bockern said.

She recommends people who qualify for the second round wait until the end of the week to call for an appointment.

Clinics may be scheduled next week in Granby, Fraser and Kremmling to provide vaccinations for these same high-risk groups, Van Bockern said.

The third shipment of vaccines will be administered to school-aged children, Van Bockern said.

Grand County is slated to receive a little more than 11,000 vaccines by the first week in January, and eventually anyone who wants a vaccine should be able to receive one, Van Bockern said.

The vaccination may require a booster for children under the age of nine, she added, but it should permanently protect recipients against this strain of Swine Flu.

Van Bockern added that any reports that a person can get the H1N1 virus multiple times are false.

“There are other strains of the flu virus out there, and there are many other kinds of illness going around the county right now, including the common cold and a 24-hour stomach bug, but once you've had this virus you can't get it again,” she said.

People infected with the flu virus are supposed to remain home until 24 hours after symptoms subside without medication, but the H1N1 virus seems to linger in the form of a cough, said Music.

“Children are returning to school with a bad cough and then relapsing. The fever comes back,” she said.

The CDC is recommending that anyone who has a relapse of symptoms see a doctor immediately.

The H1N1 virus has several characteristic symptoms, according to health care officials. The onset is sudden, accompanied by a high fever (above 100.4 degrees F) and headache. A severe cough also appears to be a telltale sign, accompanied by a sore throat, stuffy nose, muscle aches, weakness and, particularly in young children, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

People in high risk groups that do come down with the flu may want to consider getting Tamiflu from their doctors. Tamiflu has been helping relieve symptoms of H1N1 in most cases when it's taken promptly after symptoms first appear, said Van Bockern.

People over the age of 30, and particularly those over the age of 55, may have some natural resistance to the virus, Van Bockern said.

The resistance may have been acquired from previous flu outbreaks, particularly the 1976 swine flu outbreak, she said. The 1918 flu pandemic also is believed to have been caused by a strain of swine flu.

As of last week, the H1N1 virus had caused 14 deaths in Colorado. Nearly half of those were under the age of 18.

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/10260 ... Under.html

Thanks, Dr.Niman...