Education Law

H1N1: still out there

BoardBuzz has noticed that the media haven’t been talking much lately about the novel influenza A (H1N1)  in our schools.  This may be an indication that schools are taking the necessary steps to curtail the spread of the virus.  But the CDC reports that the virus is still spreading rapidly around the world, and flu experts believe that it might become even stronger in the fall, potentially as a more severe strain.  Just yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the  global spread of the virus - more than 70 countries are currently reporting cases. According to the WHO, a Phase 6 designation indicates that a global pandemic is underway, however, they caution that their decision was based on “a reflection of the spread of the virus, not the severity of illness caused by the virus.”

Also yesterday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sent a joint letter to all schools in the U.S. on the current status of H1N1 planning.  In their letter, the secretaries express appreciation to teachers, parents and administrators for a job well done, but they underscore that the novel H1N1 virus is expected to persist as a problem into the fall and that a vaccine is unlikely to be ready until weeks after the school year starts. Schools have a major role to play in combating H1N1, because, as stated in the letter, this virus has been shown to affect children disproportionately, and children are known to be highly likely to transmit flu viruses. 

The secretaries are urging schools to reinforce their planning for interventions, including those for disinfecting touched surfaces, policies that are enforced on exclusion of students and staff with flu-like symptoms, or school closures for extended periods. Another consideration is how to accommodate requests for schools to serve as vaccine distribution locations. The list of recommendations for schools to address in their “all hazards planning” over the summer includes, for instance, updating emergency plans and contact lists.

NSBA’s School Health Programs are frequently updating their website to share any information and/or resources on H1N1 as they become available, so stay tuned!

BoardBuzz wants to know what your schools are doing to prepare for the H1N1 pandemic.  Leave us a comment.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on June 12, 2009 (boomark / email).