Marshall Democrat-News: Local News: 2 Slater students being tested for flu / Malta Bend dismisses classes because of spike in absences (09/03/09)

Saline County Health Department Administrator Lisa Thomas said late Thursday morning that she had received verbal confirmation from a Columbia physician that at least one, and possibly two, children from Slater had been seen and tested for H1N1, a pandemic strain of flu that health officials are concerned could have a resurgence this fall, but that test results confirming the presence of the virus had not been received.

Thomas said the CDC has told health department officials to assume a positive test for Type A influenza is a confirmation of H1N1 virus.

"There's a 98-percent chance it's H1N1," Thomas said.

State labs are not routinely testing for H1N1, unless a patient is sick enough to be hospitalized, she added.

Thomas confirmed that older adults don't seem to be as susceptible to H1N1 as they are to seasonal flu.

"The theory is that a flu virus in the 1970s may have provided immunity for those adults," she said.

When the H1N1 vaccine is available, pregnant women and children under 6 months old will be at the top of the priority list for vaccination, followed by children and adults aged 4 to 24.

"If you have flu at this time of the year, you should assume it's H1N1. Seasonal flu hasn't yet become an issue," she said.

"Most of the cases so far have appeared to be very mild," Thomas said. "Patients must be free of fever without medication for 24 hours before they go back to school or to work."

Another school in the county is wrestling with a spike in absences caused by illness, but there is currently no evidence the problem is related to influenza.

Malta Bend School will not be in session Thursday, Sept. 3, or Friday, Sept. 4, in an effort to stop the spread of illness through students and staff, school officials said.

"We sent home 25 percent of students with fever," said Superintendent Melissa Vesser. "In an effort to stop the spread, we are not in session."

A total of 26 students were sent home from school Wednesday, Sept. 2, with fevers of about 100 degrees or more, Vesser said. One staff member is also sick.

Vesser said a letter from the district was sent home to parents.

"There have been no confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus that I'm aware of in my district at this time," Vesser added.

"Like all districts in the area, we are in contact with the health department, and if they would confirm a case in our district, we would send a letter out," she added.

Vesser said the school has been taking precautionary measures against the spread of disease since the year began. There are bottles of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes in each classroom, and students have been encouraged to wash hands frequently.

While school is closed, Vesser said custodial staff will do some deep cleaning in the building.

Other area schools have not experienced a spike in reported illnesses, but each is taking precautions.

Leslie Pointer of Saline County Health Department, who works as the nurse consultant with Malta Bend School, said the department has recommended the school and parents follow guidelines on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, but will take no further action.

"We are not doing any testing," she said, noting it is up to parents to consult their family physicians about testing their children for infection with the H1N1 virus.

Slater School Superintendent John McEachern said that Slater schools are experiencing a slightly higher than normal absentee rate, but emphasized the increase is very slight.

"If your child is sick, keep (him or her) at home," McEachern said. "(We are) maintaining ... diligence in monitoring students to insure everyone's health and safety."

McEachern said an updated informational letter was sent to all parents regarding the situation.

Sweet Springs R-7 school district has a normal attendance level at about 97 percent, said Superintendent Boyd Jones.

Hand sanitizer dispensers were installed in Sweet Springs schools in 2006, said Jones, and continue to be used today. Among other locations in the schools, dispensers are installed in the lunch lines, he added.

Marshall school district posted a letter to parents on its Web site dated Sept. 1 outlining the district's preparation for the flu season and offering precautionary tips from the CDC.

Superintendent Craig Noah said the district had not seen any increase in illness-related absences and had not had reports of flu-like illnesses.

Orearville and Hardeman schools reported Thursday attendance levels are at or near 100 percent. In Miami, only one student was absent Thursday, with a diagnosis of strep throat. Gilliam also reported only one absence for the day.

The Missouri Department of Health and Seniors Services Web site notes in its weekly flu roundup that it had received no reports of laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza from Saline County as of Aug. 29.