Absenteeism is up in some schools in the Pentucket Regional School District, prompting Superintendent Paul Livingston to issue an H1N1 flu update to parents yesterday afternoon.
Livingston said "a high number" of students for this time of year are absent from the Bagnall School in [G.ville] due to flu-like symptoms, with the Page Elementary School in [town next to G.ville] reporting a "slightly higher-than-typical" rate of students out. The four other schools in the district — Sweetsir and Donaghue elementary schools and the middle and high schools — currently have rates considered normal for midautumn, the superintendent said in a phone interview yesterday.
(No link; it's such a small town that I've probably given enough information out as it is).
Yep. Our sleepy little 'burb has been hit hard by the H1N1 virus. My daughter reports that less than half her class was present today. According to sources at the school, over a hundred kids were out on Monday (TheBoy included). It got so bad that the PTA (Mrs. G. is the secretary) canceled the annual Halloween party - this is the first year since they started putting on the Halloween party that it has been canceled. They decided to err on the side of caution and not offer up a giant germ smorgasbord. Go figure.
TheBoy has been temperature-free for nearly 24 hours now, and if he wakes up with a normal temp he's going to school for the first time since Friday. He's the first wave returning, as the flu seems to have hit last Friday, aided and abetted by a series of Halloween and birthday parties over the weekend that put fledgling carriers in close proximity to one another as the virus was just starting to break out. The perfect storm of epidemiology, if you will.
We've apparently been extremely fortunate - there have been no reported cases where the virus caused significant harm to any of the afflicted kids. Those affected reported moderate to high temperatures, aches, pains, chills, etc. - all consistent with a flu virus; all are on the mend after several days of rest and isolation. There was no need for a national emergency declaration nor a sweeping quarantine from the state.
Just plain old common sense, rest, and keeping your damn sick kids away from the healthy ones.
That is all.
4 comments:
My daughter's school sent out a letter stating that there will be no "Perfect Attendance" awards this year because they want kids to stay home if their sick, not bring the crud in just for a lousy piece of paper.
I think that was a decent decision.
i honestly wonder how many kids are actually sick with the actual flu, the hiney flu or flu like symptoms, and how many parents are being "proactive" and keeping their kids OUT of school lest they get exposed.
i actually know 2 families who are keeping their kids home with a common cold. which normally they'd send the kid in with (like i did). because they're worried, panicking that their faces are going to melt off, and are overreacting.
I have a feeling it is a combination of forces which has led to the low attendance. and g-land can't be the only town where this is going on.
my friend's 6th grader had 6 kids in his class yesterday. probably
fewer today.
in other news -- glad your boy is on the mend.
Robb,
I'm inclined to agree. No sense needlessly exposing others to germs for the sake of an award.
amusings,
Oh, certainly. There's plenty of "ZOMG TEH SWINE FLU" going around for certain. It would surprise me if there WEREN'T soccer moms keeping their precious snowflakes out so they won't get an eeevil gutter disease like H1N1...
We had the Swine Flu go through my house a week or so ago. It didn't seem that bad, and then our Pediatrician confirmed that H1N1 is actually milder than the regular seasonal flu. Then again, that wouldn't make good headlines or give people excuses to declare 'emergencies'.
As to giving away your location, I thought it was obvious, but then, I've got In-Laws near you, so I picked up on the references from our yearly visits behind the curtain. We'll probably be back that way for Christmas, where my FIL enjoys shoveling snow, and thinks everyone else should as well :(
Casey
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