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Posted: Friday, 16 October 2009 10:38AM
Confirmed H1N1 flu case at west suburban high school
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NORTH LAKE, Ill. (STNG) -- Leyden High School District 212 has its first confirmed case of the H1N1 influenza virus, but there is no information on the student's condition.
School Superintendent Kathy Robbins said, "We've seen a lot of regular stomach flu this year, and we have had just one case of confirmed H1N1 flu several weeks ago at (our) West (campus)."
Robbins said the schools are taking necessary precautions in light of the confirmed case.
"We continue to do extra cleaning at both campuses, and we are communicating about the signs, symptoms and protocol via our nurses and our school Web site," Robbins said.
During the initial H1N1 outbreak, schools were closed down in light of a confirmed case, but the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are now leaving the decision to close a school to each school district.
"Over the summer the CDC came up with new guidelines for school settings to reduce the spread of both H1N1 and regular flu while limiting the disruption of school activities," said Kelly Jakubek an Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) spokesperson.
"School closure is (now) left to the discretion of the school district and the local health department who work together to decide if a school should be closed," Jakubek added.
The IDPH Web site lists 19 H1N1 related deaths with an update as recent as today (Oct. 15) bringing the number to 20.
Two of the reported deaths ranged in age from 5 to 18 years, the group bearing the highest number (131) of hospitalized confirmed cases, according to the Web site.
Guidelines issued by IDPH, the Illinois Board of Education and the CDC recommends parents keep children home if they become sick with flu-like symptoms, notify the school principal of the child's absence and contact their health care provider.
"Students as well as staff who become sick with flu-like symptoms during school hours should be separated from everyone else until they can leave the school," Jakubek said.
Other IDPH guidelines recommends frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissues or sleeve.
Elmwood Park Community Unit District 401 so far have no confirmed cases of H1N1 but want to set up an H1N1 vaccination station.
"We've already sent in the necessary paperwork and are waiting to hear back from the Cook County Department of Public Health," said School Superintendent Douglas Rudig. "They indicated they haven't received the vaccines yet."
Rudig said the district would be set up to administer only the first dose of the H1N1 vaccine to students pre-k through eighth-grade.
"A second dose is recommended, but they'll have to go some place else to get it," Rudig said.
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Copyright 2009 STNG Wire, The Chicago Sun-Times. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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