May 20, 2009

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Lindbergh Students Get Hit With the Flu

Lindbergh High School is experiencing a large number of students absent with flu-like symptoms. Nearly 400 of the school’s 1,150 students remained home on Tuesday or were sent home after coming to school sick.

According to spokesperson Randy Matheson, Wednesday's numbers are about the same. On Monday this week, approximately 200 students were absent, about double the typical number of students absent for the school.

About 12 out of a staff of 80 have also been reported to have called in sick.

"The district continues to work closely with officials at Public Health-Seattle & King County, following their guidance and recommendations to keep students from coming in contact with the flu at school. There is no plan to close the school. Public Health officials report that the flu virus appears to be mild, and no longer recommend that schools close when there are cases of the flu at a school. The district is using additional evening custodians at Lindbergh to assist in cleaning and disinfecting the school," said Matheson.

Health department guidelines state that the best method of keeping the flu virus from spreading is for students who have symptoms to stay home from school. Families are asked to continue to check children for flu symptoms each morning.

"If you are sick, the Health Department wants you to stay home for seven days. After the three-day weekend coming up, Tuesday will be seven days," said Matheson. At that point, he thinks the situation will be much better.

A letter was sent to parents earlier this week, advising parents to keep their children home until the symptoms disappear.

Symptoms & Treatment

Parents are being asked to keep students home from school for at as many as seven days when he/she is showing signs of the flu, to include:

• Fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or more)
• cough, sore throat, body aches
• headache, chills and fatigue
• vomiting or diarrhea, blistery rash, and heavy nasal congestion

Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze; cough into your inner elbow or sleeve.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
• Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.

Swine Flu - No Connection

Several weeks ago, tests from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta revealed that a female student from Lindbergh had contracted the Swine flu, but by the time the CDC returned the results, the student had already recovered and returned to school, according to Matheson. Matheson emphasized that the symptoms of this flu students are experiencing are unrelated.

However, Matheson also encouraged parents to seek medical help for children who show more severe symptoms.

Staying the Course

Matheson says Lindbergh teachers are continuing to instruct students despite the number of students absent.

"There are 800 students continuing to attend classes and they are entitled to continue to receive good educational instruction," said Matheson. Even though student are home sick, teachers are encouraged to stay in touch with those via email, and parents are encouraged to stop by the school to pick up any needed materials.

"Teachers at the school will work really close to catch up their work to stay on top of things," said Matheson. "When they return, lessons missed will be repeated if needed."

No school activities have been cancelled, delayed or rescheduled.

Trickle-Down Effect?

Somewhat surprising, the District has not seen a similar increase in the number of absences at nearby elementary and middle schools such as Nelsen Middle School, Cascade, Renton Park, and Tiffany Park.

"Flu bugs are spread by human contact. People sneezing, shaking hands, and those kinds of activities spread the bug," said Matheson.

This may be the reason why the high numbers are not seen in other schools because the bug travels via physical contact. "Flu bugs don't live very long on surfaces, so if students stay home, the bug can be better contained," said Matheson.

For additional information visit the Public Health Web site or call the Public Health flu hotline at 1-877-903-5464.

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THURSDAY UPDATE: Renton School District reports that the number of absent students has decreased to 235 students compared to 390 out on both Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

"What we’re learning is that many of the students misdiagnosed their seasonal allergy symptoms with that of the flu (headache, congestion, some nausea)," said District spokesperson Randy Matheson.