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Health, school officials on watch for swine flu
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
While there have been no cases of the swine flu reported in Cochise County, schools and health officials are taking steps to keep residents sate.
The Cochise County Health Department (CCHD) sent a notice to local school districts April 27 suggesting steps administrators should take to protect students and staff.
The notice said if a student or staff person exhibits flu-like symptoms, action should be taken immediately. CCHD recommends that a surgical mask be placed on the sick individual. If they are exhibiting severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing or unrelenting vomiting, call 911. Otherwise send the person home with a recommendation to see their physician immediately for evaluation and testing for the flu. Finally, bar the student or staff member from school until symptoms subside and the individual is fever-free.
David Woodall, superintendent of the Benson School District, said the recent outbreak has increased everyone's level of concern. The superintendent informed staff to follow the county's recommendations and most importantly, isolate anyone exhibiting symptoms.
There have been at least 100 cases of swine flu confirmed in the U.S., one in Arizona.
As of Tuesday, Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) confirmed 13 cases in Arizona.
Three school-aged children, all residing in Maricopa County, have been identified as having the swine flu and are currently recovering.
In response to the confirmed cases, Bob England, director of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, followed recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and canceled school at Tarwater Elementary and Hartford Sylvia Encinas Elementary School in the Chandler School District. Classes have been dismissed for seven days.
All schools in Mexico were closed by the government, since that is where the strain first appeared. The Mexican government had also considered closing down public transportation because the flu spread so quickly.
Cochise County Health officials have also set guidelines for school administrators to consider canceling classes.
School officials should consider closing the school if there is a confirmed or a suspected case of swine flu epidemiologically linked to a confirmed case. Decisions regarding broader school dismissal within these communities will be left to the local authorities, taking into account the extent of influenza-like illness in the community. If classes are dismissed, the health department said schools should also cancel all school or childcare related gatherings and encourage parents and students to avoid congregating outside of the school.
The amount of time a school is closed should be evaluated on an ongoing basis based on the number of confirmed cases.
With more cases being reported throughout the world, health officials are trying to spread the word on what the swine flu is, how it spreads and what symptoms should be taken seriously.
The swine flu is caused by the same category of influenza virus that causes the flu in humans. The strain was uncommon in humans until recently.
President Barrack Obama had expressed concern over the swine flu name, stating it could cause panic. Some of the backlash already has been a decrease pork sells as residents fear eating the meat could cause the flu, and in Egypt the government ordered pigs to be slaughtered. But health officials said humans can't get swine flu by eating pork; it is spread by contact
Prior to the recent outbreak there had been about a dozen cases of the swine flu in America. One death had been reported in 1976, and then again in 1988.
Swine flu symptoms resemble seasonal flu, with fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people experience diarrhea and vomiting as well. Like the common flu, swine flu can cause serious respiratory problems or worsening of chronic medical problems.
People with the swine flu can infect others for up to seven days after they first become ill, even if symptoms have subsided. Children can be contagious for even longer periods.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent swine flu, and vaccines used for seasonal flu don't work on the current strain of the swine flu.
The Centers for Disease Control has recommended people take the following precautions: Cover the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, wash your hands often with soap and water, try to avoid close contact with sick people, stay home if you are sick and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
Officials from the Arizona Department of Health Services and the World Health Organization stress that people who are sick must stay home from work. If swine flu continues to spread, it could result in the closure of more schools and other facilities.
Health officials have also said there is no need for panic, since more people die every year from the seasonal flu than the swine flu.
According to the Arizona Department of Health, about 34,000 people die of the flu every year in the U.S.
While there have been no cases of the swine flu reported in Cochise County, schools and health officials are taking steps to keep residents sate.
The Cochise County Health Department (CCHD) sent a notice to local school districts April 27 suggesting steps administrators should take to protect students and staff.
The notice said if a student or staff person exhibits flu-like symptoms, action should be taken immediately. CCHD recommends that a surgical mask be placed on the sick individual. If they are exhibiting severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing or unrelenting vomiting, call 911. Otherwise send the person home with a recommendation to see their physician immediately for evaluation and testing for the flu. Finally, bar the student or staff member from school until symptoms subside and the individual is fever-free.
David Woodall, superintendent of the Benson School District, said the recent outbreak has increased everyone's level of concern. The superintendent informed staff to follow the county's recommendations and most importantly, isolate anyone exhibiting symptoms.
There have been at least 100 cases of swine flu confirmed in the U.S., one in Arizona.
As of Tuesday, Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) confirmed 13 cases in Arizona.
Three school-aged children, all residing in Maricopa County, have been identified as having the swine flu and are currently recovering.
In response to the confirmed cases, Bob England, director of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, followed recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and canceled school at Tarwater Elementary and Hartford Sylvia Encinas Elementary School in the Chandler School District. Classes have been dismissed for seven days.
All schools in Mexico were closed by the government, since that is where the strain first appeared. The Mexican government had also considered closing down public transportation because the flu spread so quickly.
Cochise County Health officials have also set guidelines for school administrators to consider canceling classes.
School officials should consider closing the school if there is a confirmed or a suspected case of swine flu epidemiologically linked to a confirmed case. Decisions regarding broader school dismissal within these communities will be left to the local authorities, taking into account the extent of influenza-like illness in the community. If classes are dismissed, the health department said schools should also cancel all school or childcare related gatherings and encourage parents and students to avoid congregating outside of the school.
The amount of time a school is closed should be evaluated on an ongoing basis based on the number of confirmed cases.
With more cases being reported throughout the world, health officials are trying to spread the word on what the swine flu is, how it spreads and what symptoms should be taken seriously.
The swine flu is caused by the same category of influenza virus that causes the flu in humans. The strain was uncommon in humans until recently.
President Barrack Obama had expressed concern over the swine flu name, stating it could cause panic. Some of the backlash already has been a decrease pork sells as residents fear eating the meat could cause the flu, and in Egypt the government ordered pigs to be slaughtered. But health officials said humans can't get swine flu by eating pork; it is spread by contact
Prior to the recent outbreak there had been about a dozen cases of the swine flu in America. One death had been reported in 1976, and then again in 1988.
Swine flu symptoms resemble seasonal flu, with fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people experience diarrhea and vomiting as well. Like the common flu, swine flu can cause serious respiratory problems or worsening of chronic medical problems.
People with the swine flu can infect others for up to seven days after they first become ill, even if symptoms have subsided. Children can be contagious for even longer periods.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent swine flu, and vaccines used for seasonal flu don't work on the current strain of the swine flu.
The Centers for Disease Control has recommended people take the following precautions: Cover the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, wash your hands often with soap and water, try to avoid close contact with sick people, stay home if you are sick and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
Officials from the Arizona Department of Health Services and the World Health Organization stress that people who are sick must stay home from work. If swine flu continues to spread, it could result in the closure of more schools and other facilities.
Health officials have also said there is no need for panic, since more people die every year from the seasonal flu than the swine flu.
According to the Arizona Department of Health, about 34,000 people die of the flu every year in the U.S.
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