Rhiza Labs FluTracker Forum

The four Dayton Christian Schools at the Dayton and Xenia campuses will be closed today, Monday, Oct. 26, due to higher than usual student absences last week from flu-like symptoms, said Carl Smith, assistant to the superintendent of the school system.

The system has about 1,450 students on its two campuses, Smith said.

School will be back in session tomorrow, he said.

“This is just a breather,” he said. Students were off school last Thursday and Friday because of in-service days, Smith said. He said in talking with health department officials and with information from the Centers for Disease Control, they learned that a five-day interval is best to try to cut down on the spread of the flu. By adding a day off Monday to the two days off last week and the two-day weekend, they would have that five-day period, Smith said.

He said he hopes the extra day will allow students who were sick to get better and that it will help prevent or slow more flu-like symptoms. At one point they had an 18 percent absence rate last week, which was higher than normal and seemed to be growing, he said. Without the two days off already last week, school officials wouldn’t have cancelled school today, he said.

Families were notified via e-mail Friday and via radio and TV announcements today, he said.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/day ... 66995.html

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BELLAIRE, OHIO -- Bellaire St. John Grade School officials said they will close Oct. 27 and 28 because of the high number of students out with suspected H1N1 virus.

http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?f ... yid=69163#

Absenteeism increased Monday in Ashtabula County’s public schools, while at the same time, the supply of flu shots at local health departments dwindled, officials said.


Ashtabula Area City Schools seem to be the hardest hit, with State Road Elementary School reporting 18 percent of its students home sick, school officials said.

The average daily absent rate is 6.2 percent, Superintendent Joseph Donatone said.

The other Ashtabula Area City Schools’ absences were as follows: Thomas Jefferson Elementary, 17 percent; Saybrook Elementary, 16 percent; Lakeside Junior High, 15 percent; Lakeside High and Windermere Preschool, 14 percent; McKinsey and Plymouth elementaries, 11 percent, and Lakeside Intermediate School, 10 percent, Donatone said.

“It’s high right now, a lot of children have the flu,” he said. “I’m monitoring the absence rate every day at every school ... We have a pandemic plan. We are as prepared as we can be.”

Donatone encouraged parents to keep their children home if they show flu-like symptoms.

Children who get sick at school are being isolated from the other students until their parents pick them up, he said.

At the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School, Principal Jon Whipple said he has no real cause to be concerned.

“Other school districts are hit much harder,” he said.

Shipments of H1N1 vaccine are starting to trickle in to Northeast Ohio and health departments are making plans to immunize school-age children.

Parents in Jefferson Area Local School District received notes Friday that their children will get free H1N1 vaccinations Nov. 4 in school.

Alex G. Geordan, superintendent of Pymatuning Valley Local Schools, usually sees below 5 percent absentees.

On Monday, it spiked 6 to 7 percent at the high and junior high schools, he said.

“We’re keeping a close eye on it,” he said. “It was very normal up until today.”

Geordan said school officials are stressing to parents that if they see flu-like symptoms to keep their child home.

http://www.starbeacon.com/local/local_s ... 24748.html

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BELLAIRE, OHIO -- St. John's Elementary School in Bellaire was deluged with calls from parents reporting that their children have the flu.
School officials said the sick numbers have been steadily rising since last Wednesday.

A few more children have been out each day.

But when it reached one-third of the student body, school officials made the decision after conferring with diocesan officials.

In all, 36 students are now out sick.

"We've just seen an increase in the number of students who are home with flu symptoms," said Principal Joe DeGenova. "Temperatures, body chills, body aches, the number has steadily risen. We thought that over the weekend it might drop, but it hasn't. It rose today."

The Belmont County Health Department told school officials 25 percent absenteeism is significant, but they have now hit thirty-three percent.

So the halls of learning will get a rest from students for two days, but janitors will be there, working full-tilt.

"During that time, we are going to take steps to disinfect everything in the school," said DeGenova.

They say no student is getting tested for the H1N1 virus.

At this point, they've been advised that any flu-like illness is automatically being considered the H1N1 flu.

As a long-time educator, DeGenova is concerned but putting it all in perspective.

"We've been through it before," he said. "We've had the Asian Flu and the Hong Kong Flu and now we've got this strain of flu. We'll get through it again."

St. John's vaccination clinic is still scheduled for Tuesday, Oct.27, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.in the high school gymnasium.

Any student, kindergarten through 12th grade, is eligible, as long as they are healthy at the time.

With flu season making its way into the county, many schools have been hit hard with a decline in student attendance. Many students have fallen ill with symptoms of the seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus.

Melissa Wallace, health commissioner for the Preble County General Health District, said, "We know that H1N1 is hitting young people especially hard. Very early, we were meeting with the superintendents and school nurses about this illness to make them aware of the symptoms of H1N1 (fever, sore throat and cough) and assist them how to help children keep disease transmission low.

"Teachers have been talking to the students about hand washing and cough etiquette. Bus drivers and custodians have been working to keep environmental surfaces clean. Parents have received information about symptom recognition, when to keep children home and how to care for ill children."

National Trail Local School District has reported suspected cases of the H1N1 virus.

"We've been told by the Health Department it is a high probability that it is the H1N1 because the regular seasonal flu hasn't hit yet, that's why it's an argument of terminology as to whether it has been confirmed or not," Superintendent Dr. Clint Moore said.

"The kids who are having flu-like symptoms are staying home. Roughly, we've been having 150 to 170 kids out per day (as of last week). There has been a significant number of absences, but we're pushing through it."

According to Superintendent Brad Neavin with Eaton Community Schools, they have been constant with the communication and guidance they receive from the Health Department. "From what we're hearing (from the health department), it's not uncommon, it's everywhere. We're encouraging our kids and our staff to engage in good hygiene practices as they would with any flu epidemic."

Neavin added, "We are tracking our attendance patterns to make sure we aren't seeing any pockets of outbreak, and we're not. It's pretty much scattered throughout the district."

Preble Shawnee Local School District has seen a drop in attendance as well.

"Usually we have four to five percent absent on a daily basic. Last Friday (Oct. 16), we dipped to about 10 percent, Monday (Oct. 19), we we dropped down to about 15 percent absent. Now it's held steady there the remainder of the week and it has climbed back up a bit. It has shown a steady but slight decrease in the number its dropped," according to Superintendent Dale Robertson.

Robertson sent in an update of Preble Shawnee's school attendance rate as compared to the last day in school, Friday, Oct. 23. At Camden Primary, attendance rate on Friday was at 79.9 percent. As of Monday, Oct. 26, the percentage increased to 88.6 percent. West Elkton Intermediate School went from 84.9 percent to 87.2 percent and the junior, senior high school increased from 89.5 percent to 90.5 percent.

"Overall, it appears we have hit the low point and are slowly moving back to normalcy. The flu started at Camden Primary, spread to West Elkton Intermediate and then to the junior, senior high school," Robertson said.

http://www.registerherald.com/main.asp? ... eID=127679

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School administrators of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Burlington said Tuesday they have closed the entire school to prevent the flu virus from spreading.

School administrators said 166 students are sick with the flu, and the number of absentees has skyrocketed.

Dr. Lynn Saddler, of the Northern Kentucky Health Department, said closing a school may be necessary, because germs are passed from one person to another.

"If you are sick, it is really recommended that you stay home -- whether it's from school or from work -- to stop the (virus) from spreading to others, and to help you get healthier faster," Saddler said.

Saddler said students should stay at home and avoid going to malls and other crowded places to prevent catching the flu or spreading it to others.

To prevent spreading or catching the flu, Saddler said she recommends frequent hand washing, coughing or sneezing into elbows instead of hands and avoid touching one's face.

http://www.wlwt.com/r/26797120/detail.html

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Video

http://www.wlwt.com/r-video/26797801/detail.html

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school is in Burlington, KY
article byline of Cincinnati is misleading.

http://www.ihm-ky.org/Home/Announcement ... -Mass.aspx

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish
Anointing of the Sick at Mass
GMeier posted on February 07, 2011 11:00

The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is February 11. The Church has designated this feast day as a World Day of Prayer for the Sick. We will offer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick on that day, as well as after all Masses the weekend of Feb. 12/13. Anointing is for serious or potentially serious illness, including chronic problems that significantly affect the person’s capacity to function.


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so the school is closed for a flu outbreak, but the church plans to hold a mass for ill and chronically ill parishioners. hmmmm....