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- Maryland /
Regional
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- National /
International
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New Swine Flu Guidelines Suggest Schools Stay Open
(Washington Post)
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- Opinion
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- Maryland /
Regional
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- National / International
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New Swine Flu Guidelines Suggest Schools Stay Open
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- By Spencer S. Hsu
- Washington Post
- Saturday, August 8, 2009
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- Bracing for a resurgence of swine flu cases, federal
officials on Friday advised U.S. schools to send sick
children home with masks this fall but otherwise stay
open unless they serve many students with certain
medical conditions. State and local officials also
should plan for temporary home schooling and consider
additional steps if the flu dramatically worsens.
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- The recommendations mark a change from the spring,
when U.S. officials initially urged state and local
officials to close schools at the first sign of
suspected H1N1 virus.
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- Top Obama health, education and homeland security
officials said that new evidence about the global
pandemic shows that the disruption caused by mass
closures outweighs any potential benefits of closures,
at least for now.
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- "It is now clear closure of schools is rarely
indicated," said Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Even if
H1N1 is in the school, there are measures we can take to
protect the students, to protect the staff and allow
learning to continue."
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- The guidance for public and private K-12 schools is
the first of a rolling set of recommendations from the
federal government. More guidelines will be issued
within days for pre-kindergarten and early learning
centers, by Aug. 23 for colleges and universities, and
later for U.S employers, officials said.
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- Officials said Friday that the key is for people who
are sick to stay home until at least 24 hours after
their fevers end. If they show up in school, sick
students and staff should be separated in a clean, safe
room and given protective gear such as a mask until they
can go home, Homeland Security Secretary Janet
Napolitano said.
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- Only schools with large numbers of students who are
especially at-risk of illness, such as students who are
pregnant or who have conditions such as muscular
dystrophy or cerebral palsy, might want to close,
Frieden said.
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- More government recommendations are online at
flu.gov.
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- Copyright 2009 Washington Post.
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- Opinion
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