Here are official numbers being released by the Ark City Schools. This is for Thursday.
Middle School: 64 were out sick (not necessarily the flu). The total enrollment there is approx. 620.
High School: 113 were out sick (not necessarily the flu). The total enrollment there is approx. 790.
High school is still a bit above the normal, which would be 60-70. Note that middle school is not really all that high. Maybe a little more than the normal 6-7 percent.
According to the state stats, most people who get the swine flu are under 25, which is kind of interesting.
My wife is the school nurse at South Haven. She said they are not having much of a problem at all with it. They have around 250 students and are missing like 4-5 kids a day.
A lot of people are sick though, and I dont feel all that great myself. (I really think its allergies in my case.)
There are people who are saying its being downplayed. Could be to some extent, but im not sure what they want public officials to do.
Would you feel better if public officials ran up and down Summit Street screaming "Were all gonna die !!! "
It is a bit early for flu season, but we are having cooler weather earlier than normal. There probably is more swine flu going around, and the weather is making it worse.
This flu is not necessarily worse than other flu. People die from regular flu as well. Its just that this one spreads so much easier and faster.
Im not so sure it matters what kind of flu you have. If you have the flu, you will be really miserable and it could kill you if you dont take care of yourself.
But the bottom line is. Do what you can to take care of yourself and others.
Wash your hands. Nurse Joyce says that is the most important thing you can do. Wash your hands often. We dont realize how often we touch our face. Its easy to touch a germ and then touch your face and give yourself a virus.
If you are sick, stay home. If your kids are sick, dont send them to school.
Nurse Joyce said to write that one down twice. Dont send a sick kid to school.
If you do sneeze in public, cover it with your elbow.
Lots of people are getting sick. There are things you can do to protect yourself.
I was told lots of kids getting sick in Ponca city schools also.
ReplyDeleteNow all this talk about washing hands, not touching the face, etc...its all fine and dandy. But people need to realize that a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables,drinking water, reducing stress, get enough sleep if you can and daily exercise will help you just as much in preventing lots of viruses and illnesses. I've only been sick twice in 10 years and that was because of direct contact with a child with fever.
Don't want anybody to over react, but don't downplay it either. Why the initial denial that there was any problem? Give us the numbers, let us know how to protect ourselves, let us know what the school is doing to reduce the risk of exposure, when you should stay home, when it's safe to come back.
ReplyDeleteLet us know that the risks are really not that much greater than the regular flu...
That sort of thing.
But don't deny it.
Thats a good point.
ReplyDeleteI dont know why, but schools are notorious about that. In general, they are the worst public entity as far as getting real information.
Its been true everywhere that I have lived.
Once they know you know, they will usually own up to the reality.
But you generally have to figure it out yourself first, as far as news gathering.
But the news is saying it has killed more children already so far than most flu seasons and the regular flu season hasn't even started. So I think it is worse than regular flu. I'm sorry, I have kids, I am concerned.
ReplyDeleteWell you should be concerned. Some will argue this is off topic but - the local school nurse, KDHE, Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization are all touting the importance of hygiene and washing hands in warm soapy water.
ReplyDeleteGuess what our water Czar in Ark City is taking away from almost 10% of the household - where school children live!!-
You haven't even mentioned the numbers of the most vulnerable population - the elementary and pre-k kids. That's where the high percentages of low-income families are functioning without running water because of the aggression of the City's water Czar. The sick kids are bringing it to school. The not so sick kids whose parents were a day late paying the water bill can't take a simple preventive measure.
A safe system of potable water is what separates us in the USA from what we label as "Under-developed countries" where children wash in water troughs or cattle pens.
What brilliance by teh water Czar to get aggressive about water service in the face of a pandemic significant enough to have months fo forewarning. Brilliant!
Ok, but its not 10 percent. The people who actually get shut off is much lower than that. And many who get shut off dont live there any more and have moved on. The actual percentage is very low.
ReplyDeleteIt is actually illegal to live in a house without water. So i dont know how that works.
Its not a done deal by any means.
More to come im sure.
From an article on yahoo's front page this morning:
ReplyDelete"This new strain is different from regular winter flu because it strikes the young far more than the old, and child deaths are drawing particular attention. Eighty-six children have died of swine flu in the U.S. since it burst on the scene last spring — 43 of those deaths reported in September and early October alone, said Schuchat.
That's a startling number because in some past winters, the CDC has counted 40 or 50 child deaths for the entire flu season, she said, and no one knows how long this swine flu outbreak will last."
The full article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091017/ap_on_he_me/us_med_swine_flu
I was thinking the other day about the flu and maybe I'm way off base on this theory, but I think this winter is going to be a tough year for viruses as well as the H1N1 flu because we had a cooler then normal summer. Think about it, heat can kill off viruses and bacteria faster. Now with cold weather setting in so quickly, its ripe for the taking. All we can do is try preventive care and not sit around having panic attacks over it because youre going to add more stress to your life and your immune system will take a beating.
ReplyDeleteHave fun everyone at Arkalalah and the carnival! We decided as a family to not attend it this year. How many think that we'll see a hike in the flu after Arkalalah!!
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking the same thing. I may still go to the parade, but stay well far away as possible from people.
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine, thousands of people along the parade route wearing masks ?
ReplyDeletehmmmmmm
gives me an idea.
wonder what the world record is for masked people watching a parade?
LOL! It would be a sight to see. I'm not terribly worried about it, but I like to be careful. But when you think about how many people will be coming from all over from in state and out of state...
ReplyDeleteOr the fact that people just aren't catious enough... Like the parents who will let their kids go to the carnival and then to the food both without washing their hands. Or the teens that just don't think about it. Or the food vendors taking all the money and then making your food.
ReplyDeleteI have and will make my own fried oreo's and funnel cakes at home.