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Swine flu case confirmed at private school
Virus contained to sixth, seventh grade
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009
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One seventh grade student at the Calverton School has tested positive for swine flu, or the H1N1 virus, and many more have reported flu-like symptoms to the school, according to Holly Reynolds Lee, communications and marketing coordinator at the school.
Lee said Monday afternoon that a large number of its sixth and seventh grade class was out of school with flu symptoms. By Tuesday morning, it appeared that there were no new cases and the school was hoping the virus had been contained to those grades. There are just fewer than 400 students at the private school.
"Things have improved dramatically overnight," Lee said, continuing, "… Everything is normal except in grades 6 and 7 and we're relieved."
Lee said the middle school students took a camping trip last Wednesday through Friday, which had them staying in tents. On Monday morning, many students were absent from school and one student reportedly tested positive for swine flu when that student went to the doctor. Other students were sent home sick throughout the day. Lee said the school started calling the parents of absent students and found that many thought their children had simple colds.
Lee said there are no plans to close the school and activities are expected to go on as scheduled.
At the school, a plan had already been in place since last year to prevent the spread of the virus after the national news of a possible pandemic. "The disinfecting has been very stepped up this year. You can't walk far without walking past a hand sanitizer," she said.
Lee said all day Monday school staff was busy making phone calls to parents and anyone connected with the school, like companies that contract the school's buses.
She said that while the school was prepared to start a hotline for phone calls if necessary, with small grades it was more efficient and simpler to directly communicate with parents.
Lee said when calling parents, the staff had a series of questions to ask, including whether the student had a fever, was coughing, had a sore throat or runny nose. "One factor that seems to hold steady is the fever," Lee said. Sometimes it is low grade, but most of the affected students had some kind of fever.
According to Calvert County Public School's spokeswoman Gail Bennett, there are no confirmed cases within the school system as of Tuesday morning.
The Calvert County Health Department has confirmed 15 local cases of swine flu since last spring, department Director of Disease, Surveillance and Response Sharon Nazarek said, but added that the Centers for Disease Control recommend that only hospitalized patients and those exposed to outbreaks should be tested.
The federal government estimates as much as 40 percent of the national population could get flu in the fall and winter, according to a press release from the Red Cross Southern Maryland Chapter.
Vaccine is not currently available, but Nazarek said the health department hopes to have some by mid to late October and hold three mass-vaccination clinics for the public.
The first batch of vaccine will go to "target populations," such as pregnant women, household contacts or caregivers of children less than 6 months old, healthcare and emergency service workers, all people aged 6 months to 24 years and persons aged 25 to 64 years with a high risk of developing complications as a result of influenza.
"We believe there will be enough vaccine for everybody eventually," Nazarek said.
In the mean time, people can help avoid contracting or spreading the illness by washing their hands diligently and, if they do get sick, staying home, Nazarek said.
Nazarek also emphasized that even though the symptoms of swine flu are identical to seasonal flu, the two are still different strains and require separate vaccinations.
"There is a big difference between the H1N1 vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine," she said. "We absolutely recommend both this year."
