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April 28, 2009
Good
afternoon.
Yesterday, ODE
representatives participated in a teleconference conducted by the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Department of
Education regarding precautions that should be taken in response to
the appearance of swine flu in the United States. As you will
remember from yesterday’s edition of EdConnection, there is
one confirmed case of an Ohio child contracting swine flu in Lorain
County. The child’s school has closed for a week based on the CDC’s
recommendation.
Thus far, the
median age of the 50 confirmed cases in the U.S. is 16, which of
course has major implications for schools and communities. Although
Americans who have contracted swine flu in recent months appear to
be recovering, this virus is transmitted from person to person, and
it could cause very serious illness. For this reason CDC and U.S.
DOE offered advice for schools that I will share with you, along
with some local resources.
If one of your
students contracts swine flu:
- Work with the
local health department in closing schools. If a county
health department confirms one case of swine flu in a school or
child care center, they have been advised to recommend that the
facility closes for seven days (the contagious period for a
confirmed case). Be aware that if another case is confirmed, you
should anticipate that closure will be longer.
- Cancel any
school-related events. One of the
best precautions about disease transmission is keeping students
away from others who are sick. If the local health department
recommends school closure, this will include cancellation of
school-related activities.
- Keep children
at home.Please ask
parents to ensure that their children avoid congregating in public
places like malls, coffee shops or libraries while they are not in
school.
Here are some
steps you can take now to prepare:
- Keep abreast
of the latest information. These Web
sites are updated regularly with new information about the swine
flu investigation and with practical information about what schools
and families can do now to prevent illness:
- Ohio
Department of Health (ODH) Swine Flu Information http://www.odh.ohio.gov/landing/phs_emergency/swineflu.aspx
- Centers for
Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
- Review school
emergency plans immediately. If you have
not already done so, contact your local health department to have
the plans reviewed for adequacy. An ODE Web page contains links to
ODH planning guidance for a potential pandemic and free resources
such as a school poster to encourage frequent hand washing. (Click
here
for the Web page and search: influenza).
- Help parents
learn and plan ahead. Among the
many CDC Web resources is a fact
sheet on avoiding seasonal flu that will help parents keep
their children healthy as possible. Encourage parents to prepare
for child care needs in the event of a school closure.
- Get ready to
help children learn during school closure. Prepare now
to send learning materials home either in hard copy, or using
e-mail, online or other electronic means. The materials can be used
to reinforce content students have learned and keep them from
regressing academically while school is not in session. Learning at
home can help students maintain a sense of normalcy, which will
help alleviate potential fears they may have about the swine
flu.
Although
legally mandated dates for the Ohio Achievement Tests continue
through May 8 in Ohio, the health of our students and teachers is a
primary consideration. If you need to close your school during a
testing period, then do so. ODE will work individually with any
school district that has questions about the impact of school
closure on the normal course of operations.
We
will continue to keep you updated on any further developments
related to the transmission of the swine flu virus. Again, we share
your concern for the health and safety of our children.
Sincerely,
Deborah S.
Delisle
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