I am one who believes that the media and Obongo administration have created a panic regarding this flu "outbreak" thingy going on. But today in my hometown paper they say one of our Catholic Schools may possibly have a case of it.
I am waiting anxiously to see what sort of panic they create as the story invariably gets worse as the kiddies become achey, feverish, and can't sleep.
Perhaps some Alka-Seltzer Flu in is order instead of pandemonium?
In today's Citizen's Voice:
The state Department of Health is investigating a probable case of swine flu, also known as H1N1, in a student at Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre.
Holy Redeemer is not being closed at this time, said Principal James Redington on Monday. Redington said the student had not been to Mexico recently, but had been absent from school since last week. The issue was brought to the school’s attention Friday.
“We have been in contact with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and they are working with us,” he said. “At this time it is strictly a probable situation and we are doing everything to ensure students will be safe.”
In a letter to parents, the school administration explained the reasoning for keeping the school open.
“First, this student became ill a week ago, and according to PADOH, the period of concern is seven days. The student only came to school before becoming ill, and then was at home until the symptoms had gone away. The diagnosis of influenza was made only late in the course of the student’s illness by the doctor.
The most likely time that this student would have spread the virus is on the day before illness onset, which again was a week ago. In addition, the student is a teenager, and in general the concerns about spread of respiratory viruses in the school setting is higher for younger children rather than in this age group.”
The letter further explains that Holy Redeemer has not experienced an unusually high number of incidences of respiratory illness or student absences. School officials will continue to monitor the situation. Whether this is a confirmed case of H1N1 will not be known for several days as the sample have to be sent to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for confirmation.
“We have been working with cleaning staff maintenance staff all along to ensure all the cleanliness factors are up to grade,” Redington said.
A probable case of swine flu is one in which a patient tests positive for Influenza A, but is negative for the common, seasonal strains. Samples are then sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory in Atlanta, which tests for the Influenza A strain H1N1, or swine flu.
There have been 340 confirmed cases in 36 states, according to CDC figures published Monday. At that time, there was one confirmed case in Pennsylvania, and nine probable cases spread across Bucks, Luzerne, Lycoming, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
Nicholas Sohr, staff writer, contributed to this report.
3 comments:
It is interesting to note that it is now being spread by the general population not just people who have contacts with Mexico. Also I just read somewhere that it was probably quite widespread in Mexico but that we only heard about the cases where medical intervention was sought. Most people just get the flu and stay home till it is over.
Ah, yes! People with common sense stay home when they are sick. I can never understand people who come o work sneezing and coughing all over the place when they know full well they are spreading disease.
I work in health care and, yeah this swine flu thing seemed more of a drama last week but this week the drama is dying down a bit. A school in our area closed because some kid was suspected to have it without going to Mexico. And then other stuff. I think there's suspected cases, probable cases, and then confirmed. So if he ends up being confirmed, I guess that'd suck. If WE end up having a confirmed case nearby, we may go all out and put up tents and shit that staff will have to enter through before going inside once they "pass" that they are well enough. And we've ordered masks n' shit. But again, we are a hospital...
- L
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