WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Schools taking precautions against H1N1

Schools taking precautions against H1N1

By Melanie Ruberti - bio | email

GUYTON, GA (WTOC) - On Friday, the federal government along with the Center of Disease Control, issued new guidelines to help combat the H1N1 virus.  

They're hoping public schools around the country will put into place but schools in Effingham County say the guidelines are not new for them.

When it comes to washing their hands, second graders at Marlow Elementary School in Guyton are leading experts. They know when to clean them and for how long.  

"That's what we teach, prevention," explained RN Jamie Vance, the school nurse. "Wash your hands, get rest, cover your mouth, blow your nose."

Vance is staying on top of the H1N1 outbreaks and the latest federal guidelines.

Some of the new changes to federal guidelines include not closing down schools for just a few cases of H1N1 and making sure students stay home for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone.

The new federal guidelines are ones Vance and the Effingham County School District have been doing for years.

"The guidelines are what we've gone by anyway. We've always preached prevention," Vance said. "We are monitoring the illnesses, we are documenting what we see and if there is a reason to be concerned, then we'll know it."

Ginny Knight is a teacher at Marlow and the mother of three boys. She believes the federal guidelines are important.

While she is concerned about the spread of H1N1, she believes knowledge is key.

"I'm not scared of it in the sense of panic," she said. "I take the precautions that I need to take and understand going to the mall, going out to eat, gives me the same chance of getting it as coming to school. As long as we take the precautions that we need to take, everything will be fine."

And it seems students at Marlow already have those precautions down-pat.

The federal guidelines are merely suggestions by the CDC and the government. It's up to the school district to decide if they want to implement them.

The guidelines are as follows:

• School dismissal is not recommended unless there is a huge number of faculty and student absenteeism that interferes with school's ability to function.
• Students and staff with flu like illness should stay home for at least 24 hours after fever is gone.
• Students and staff with flu like illness at school should be isolated in room and sent home.
• Aspirin and Aspirin containing products should not be administered to any suspected case of H1N1 flu.
• School administrators should communicate regularly with local health officials.
• Schools should promote good hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
• Parents and guardians should monitor school aged children and faculty and staff should self monitor every morning for symptoms of flu like illness.
• Ill students should not attend alternative child care or congregate in other neighborhood and community settings outside of school.

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