As the swine flu spreads through the state and the nation many students fear that it has arrived at Arapahoe High School. The apparent increase in absences has done little to calm student’s fears.
With many students and teachers getting sick, the Littleton Public School district had no choice but to take preventative measures. Working in conjunction with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Tri-County Health Department, the district sent letters home with information about the signs and symptoms of the H1N1 virus.
They placed more soap dispensers in the bathrooms and encouraged frequent hand washing. More recently foaming hand sanitizer dispensers were installed in every classroom and department offices throughout the building.
“Tri-County Health and the CDC say that using hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol is an effective way of helping prevent the spread of the virus,” Diane Leiker, Director of Communications for Littleton Public Schools, said.
Since the flu season’s arrival, Arapahoe students have plagued teachers with questions about the swine flu and its many possible side effects. Will they close school if too many people get sick?
There are no school closures anticipated in the near future, say officials.
“At the present time, health authorities are generally not recommending school closures unless there are not enough staff available to operate effectively,” Lucinda Hundley, Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services, said.
Many students have noticed an increased number of absences over the past several weeks and have assumed the majority of them were due to H1N1. However school officials say it is too early to say with certainty that absence rates are higher than normal or that absences are due solely to H1N1.
“Tri-County Health and the CDC have recently asked school districts to monitor student absences and to determine if there are higher absence rates than usual.
We are just beginning to collect that data. We are continuing to monitor absences in all of our schools,” Leiker said.
Students home sick have found creative ways to stay up to date on school work. English teacher Anne Smith offered her students a unique opportunity.
“I had a few students take me up on my offer to Skype into class,” Smith wrote in her blog “Learning and Laptops.” “They want to participate, they want to stay in touch, they want to continue learning and aren’t letting the flu get in their way.”
This new strain of the flu is incredibly contagious. The virus is able to survive on hard surfaces for many hours.
The most common method for spreading the virus, however, is coughing or sneezing and then touching the mouth or nose area.
Those who have contracted the swine flu are contagious for a day prior to showing symptoms and up to 7 days after their fever subsides.
According to the CDC, “symptoms of H1N1 include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.”
It is possible to present respiratory symptoms without a fever. The school asks that if a student presents any of the symptoms of H1N1 that they remain home from school or any other high population activities (sporting events, malls, etc).
It is imperative that students take all necessary measures to prevent becoming ill. Washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds can help prevent the spread of H1N1.
“I would say people should use [the hand sanitizers] three to four times a day,” Dr. Paul Sehdev with Providence St. Vincent Medical Center said, “Typically, it is about two squirts, and you want to rub it in all over your hands, up under your fingernails if possible, and you want to keep rubbing it until your hands are completely dry.”