There Are Ways to Take Precautions to Avoid Swine Flu

....From the Desk of Terry Allen, Superintendent

May 04, 2009

While the primary objective of Quanah Independent School District is the education of your children, our responsibility does not stop there.

The health and well-being of each student is also our concern. When there is an event such as the current swine flu alert, we take our obligation very seriously to obtain the most up-to-date information so that we can address the issue on campus, as well as pass the news on to the parents of our students.

As many of you have heard, there are now a small number of confirmed cases of swine flu in Texas as well as cases in Mexico, California and Kansas, and suspected cases in New York. Flu vaccines administered during fall 2008 and winter 2009 do not protect against swine flu, and there is not a human vaccine for the illness. Therefore, there is the potential for swine flu to spread rapidly because of the lack of immunity to the illness. However, this is not to be confused with the avian flu that has a high fatality rate in other countries.

Because of their population density, universities, schools and communities are susceptible to the spread of illness.

We ask you to be more conscious of your health habits in the coming weeks, in an effort to safeguard against the spread of this disease in our community. Wash diligently with soap and hot water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to clean your hands frequently, especially before eating, and cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze. Keep your hands away from your mouth, eyes and nose. Please do not eat or drink after anyone else. If you cough or sneeze into a tissue, deposit it in a trash can. Do not place it on any surface that others might touch. Stay home, and do not go to work or class if you have any of the following symptoms: a sudden fever, body aches and pains, coughing, fatigue.

People who have swine flu may also experience nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and/or a runny nose and sore throat. The majority of the patients with this flu have reported that the symptoms are mild, and the individuals have recovered fully. Students with any of these symptoms should contact their local clinic. Cathy Call, school nurse, may provide guidance about whether or not, and how soon, your child may need to be evaluated by a health-care provider. Faculty and staff should call their personal health-care providers for advice.

The Quanah Independent School District is working with city, county and state health authorities on this matter. We will continue to monitor the situation here in the United States and in Mexico, and will let you know should there be other news to pass on.

While it is important that we not panic, it is of the utmost importance that we do take the situation seriously, and take precautions where possible.

If you would like more information about swine flu, please visit www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm <http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm> .