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H1N1, flu symptoms cause mass absences |
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Friday, 30 October 2009 |
By ANDREW MARTIN
WOOD RIVER JCT. – A student with a confirmed case of H1N1 and others displaying flu-like symptoms led to more than 50 Chariho Regional Middle School students going home early last Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Those numbers continued to climb through Monday, Oct. 26 across the entire school district. According to a district-wide monthly absences chart provided by Chariho, the number of students absent jumped from 392 on Oct. 22 to 578 on Oct. 23. That number then increased to 609 this past Monday before dwindling to 522 on Tuesday.
“It seems to be slowing down,” Chariho Supt. Barry J. Ricci said on Tuesday afternoon referring to the total absences. He added that the number of absences appeared to have spiked late last week.
Ricci could not confirm that there were any more cases of H1N1 in the district. “But we do know there are a lot of kids sick with the flu,” he said. The only confirmed case is the aforementioned middle school student.
According to a sports reporter for The Chariho Times, the high school’s girls tennis team was instructed to not shake hands after their matches. Instead, they reportedly bumped elbows with their opponents.
Ricci explained that the above practice is not specific to Chariho as the Rhode Island Interscholastic League has advised all student athletes to bump elbows instead of shaking hands as a preventive measure.
Earlier in this school year, Ricci sent a letter home to parents regarding the H1N1 virus and the precautions the district wants its students to take. In addition to being vaccinated for both the seasonal flu and H1N1, he listed ways to prevent the spreading of these viruses. Those include not sharing eating or drinking utensils, sneezing and coughing into your elbow, and washing your hands often with soap and warm water.
The letter then states that a child should stay home until he or she is fever-free (with a temperature of 100 or lower) for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine.
To find more information regarding the H1N1 and seasonal flu and their vaccinations refer to www.chariho.k12.ri.us or the state Department of Health website www.health.ri.gov/flu. |
