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2009-11-21

2009-11-18

2009-11-05

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Thursday, October 22, 2009 12:00 PM

Photo by Elliot J. Sutherland/The Ottawa Herald

Students at West Franklin High School pass by a hand sanitizer recently near a restroom entrance at the high school. Some schools in the area are taking measures to combat H1N1.

Flu, illnesses causing increase in absences, school officials say

By VICKIE MOSS, Herald Public Affairs Editor

This year is different.

The first couple of months of school, children sometimes bring with them things like head lice or chicken pox, school officials say.

But this year, schools are busy battling a new health threat: the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu.

All area schools have reported an increase in the number of students out with flu-like symptoms.

That’s unusual for this time of year, officials say.

“The addition of the H1N1 virus, that has certainly come earlier,” Dotson Bradbury, superintendent of West Franklin schools, said. “That’s the biggest reason for absenteeism.”

All area districts — Ottawa, Central Heights, West Franklin and Wellsville — reported an increase in the number of influenza-like illnesses in the past two weeks.

Bradbury estimated about 10 percent of the school’s students were absent, and Central Heights reported 38 students absent in all grades Monday for a variety of reasons.

Ottawa is averaging about 100 students absent in all schools for a variety of reasons, Superintendent Dean Katt estimated. The high school has been hit hardest by absenteeism, he said, with 65 students absent on one day last week.

There’s good news for the districts, though. School officials also report they haven’t seen many instances of other health threats.

During the course of a school year, children can face many health issues. Those issues can include head lice, ringworm, respiratory illnesses, strep throat, pink eye and chicken pox.

“So far this year, we do not seem to have a problem with any of these,” Sandra Meyer, school nurse at Central Heights, said.

Districts have been working hard to combat viruses, officials said.

“Last week when we saw this (H1N1) hitting, we stepped up our efforts in dealing with it,” Denise O’Dea, superintendent of Wellsville schools, said.

All districts said they are encouraging students to wash hands, use hand sanitizer, stay home when sick and cough or sneeze into a tissue or sleeve. Staff members also have stepped up efforts to clean or sanitize desks and other surfaces, they report.

Wellsville asks sick students to stay home seven days and asks siblings of sick children also to stay home, O’Dea said. The school nurse conducts fever checks if any student shows symptoms of illness, she said.

Parents who call to report a sick child are asked about specific symptoms to better understand health concerns, Central Heights’ Meyer said.

Wellsville and Ottawa also plan to offer a flu vaccine clinic when the county health department receives enough vaccine to supply such a clinic, O’Dea and Katt said.

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Flu, illnesses causing increase in absences, school officials say

By VICKIE MOSS, Herald Public Affairs Editor

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article | Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article |
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.