H1N1 diagnosed in Gordonsville students

ORANGE — The 2009-2010 flu season just started, but many are already feeling under the weather.

As of Friday, it was confirmed by the Virginia Health Department that two Gordon-Barbour Elementary School students have come down with H1N1, commonly referred to as swine flu.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), H1N1 is a new strand of influenza, consisting of four different flu strands. In June, it caused the first pandemic, or global, outbreak of disease in more than 40 years. During the 2008-2009 flu season, which closed out Aug. 30, 593 deaths and 9,079 hospitalizations were caused by the 2009 H1N1 flu virus and there is concern that it may get worse.

“It is not known when flu activity will increase, when it will be most intense, what viruses will circulate or how long the season might last,” Rappahanock-Rapidan Health District Epidemiologist Kelly Sullivan said.

Also, based on state laboratory findings, if a person currently has symptoms consistent with influenza, it’s reasonable to assume at this point that it is H1N1, which is exactly what the school system is doing.

According to Orange County Public School Superintendent Dr. Robert P. Grimesey, Jr. all flu-like symptoms are being treated as if they are H1N1.

“Students are being sent home if they have temperatures of 100 degrees or more,” he said. “Students are also being sent home if they have lower temperatures accompanied with other flu-like symptoms.”
Grimesey said there is a possibility that some students may have H1N1 but until confirmed by the Virginia Health Department, there is really no way to know for sure.

In a letter sent home to parents this week following the discovery of the two confirmed cases at Gordon-Barbour Elementary School, Grimesey said that accommodations have been made to keep those students at home until they have recovered. He also encouraged parents to make accommodations now in case their children should become ill and not be able to attend school for a week or more. The CDC recommends that ill people stay at home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone and keeping away from others as much as possible to avoid spreading illnesses.

Grimesey said there may be more cases of students with H1N1 that have not been confirmed by the health department, something that may be reflected in the attendance. He said based on what is known about the contagious nature of H1N1 influenza, the Department of Education and the Department of Health both expect the 2009 attendance rates to lag behind the 2008 rates. Therefore the same trend is being anticipated in Orange County. Currently, the attendance rate, 93.1 percent, is one percent less than what is was last year at this time, 94.1 percent, but it could drop further depending on illness.

To prevent the spread of the virus, the school system is encouraging parents to teach their children good cough and hand hygiene etiquette, monitor children for flu-like symptoms and keep sick children home from school. According to director of facilities Ann Bledsoe, hand sanitizer has also been made available in every classroom to prevent the spread of germs. Plus, parents are encouraged to have their children vaccinated against the virus.

The school system is currently is working with the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Health Department to make vaccinations for the H1N1 virus available for all students. Vaccination clinics will be conducted by health department nurses in all Orange County schools. Parent permission will be required and vaccinations will be administered at no cost to students. Clinics are expected to be conducted in mid- to late October. Once plans are finalized and the vaccine is available, parents will be notified of the immunization program by letter and permission slips will be made available.

For more information on H1N1 visit http://www.flu.gov. Also, the Orange County School System has posted information relating to the illness on their website at http://www.ocss-va.org.