School District Says Controls Are in Place for ‘Swine’ Flu

• Monitoring of N1H1 Virus Continues

BY SUZANNE GULDIMANN

Although only three cases of swine flu, the H1N1 influenza virus, have been reported so far in Los Angeles County, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District isn’t taking chances. Messages from Superintendent Tim Cuneo were sent home with all district students last week and this week, reassuring parents that the district’s nurses are “in regular contact with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to insure that district staff and parents are up to date with the latest health information and classroom hygiene measures.”
“While experts are uncertain about the spread and duration of the virus in California, the people affected thus far are reporting only mild to moderate symptoms,” Cuneo wrote.
“As a school community, we want to do all that we can to reduce the likelihood of virus exposure. The Center for Disease Control is advising that people follow general infection control practices and good hygiene to reduce transmission of all viruses. By taking simple precautions like washing hands often, covering their mouth when they cough or sneeze, students can reduce their chances of getting the flu. The experts also advise that whenever your child is sick, you do not send him or her to school.”
Malibu High School Principal Mark Kelly sent his school’s students home with advice forwarded from Point Dume Elementary school principal Chi Kim.
“When situations like Swine flu permeate throughout news media outlets, it is difficult to know what information we share with our young people. That is a family decision that needs to take into account age of the child, level of information, and how much information would bring about an unnecessary fear. It is our charge as the adults in our caring community to model rational and reasonable thinking. When we stay calm, our young people usually follow suit.”
Government officials appear cautiously optimistic that the threat of swine flu appears to be lessening, although the World Health Organization continues to warn that it is still too early to tell if the recent outbreak of the H1N1 influenza has peaked.
H1N1 is believed by scientists to be the same strain of flu virus that caused the deadly 1918 flu pandemic. A swine flu scare in 1976 in the U.S. led to one documented flu-related death. However, the 1976 event resulted in multiple fatalities and cases of a paralyzing neuromuscular disorder called Guillian-Barre syndrome, not from the virus but from an inadequately tested vaccine used to combat it.
Flu prevention tips are available on the district Web site at http://www.smmusd.org/. Updates on the Swine flu epidemic are available at the Center for Disease Control’s Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/