H1N1 Heads To School

  As our children get ready to head back into the classroom health officials are warning parents to be ready to hear about the outbreaks of the H1N1 flu.  In fact Henderson County School District is reporting one confirmed case and six possible cases.
    According to Kathy Bryant the Infection Control Manager at Spartanburg Regional, “I would not be surprised to see that because we do know this is a virus that is spread very easily. We do know that most of us have no natural immunities to that virus so if we are exposed to it in large amounts it is possible that we will get sick.“ Bryant says they have already been advising schools on how to handle it. She says schools need to be diligent about cleaning.  “Frequent cleaning, wiping down surfaces things like that are very good for our schools to do.“  She says the same goes for our children.  Frequent hand washing and good hygiene are the best defenses.  She says, “Kids are in close contact.  They touch each other a lot they don’t wash their hands as often as they should and those are the things you battle in a classroom.“ However, she adds parents need to watch their children for flu symptoms.  Bryant says, “If they are having any of these symptoms they need to keep them home.“  She says they may need to stay home for at least 7 days or until your child is rid of the symptoms for 24 hours.  Bryant says unfortunately we will probably see cases but if we teach our children to be careful we can reduce the number of instances.