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Friday, October 16, 2009
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Numbers rising in South Adams school absentees
By JIM LANGHAM
Berne Tri-Weekly News
Absenteeism at South Adams Schools continued to rise on Thursday with over 350 students out of school. That was up from Wednesday?s 301 reported missing from school, and up considerably from the 255 reported Tuesday.
In addition, three school events were canceled Thursday. The third grade musical was postponed until Oct. 22; the parent open house was also canceled as well as the previously scheduled Austin Miller benefit. The latter two will be rescheduled at a future date.
South Adams School Superintendent Cathy Egolf was out of town on
Thursday and not available for any comments.
However, County Health Nurse Louise Busse, said that her department is working as rapidly as possible to see that all medical outlets were equipped with the first shipment of H1N1 virus vaccine that had arrived earlier in the week.
Busse said that the immediate goal is to get vaccines to those considered at high risk, including pregnant women, caregivers and those who live with children under the age of six months, health care workers and emergency medical personnel, children and young adults, ages six months to 24 years, and those age 25-64 with medical problems such as asthma, lung disease, severe heart condition or serious illness such as cancer.
?We?re distributing it to all of the doctors and all appropriate outlets as quick as we can get it there,? said Busse.
Busse said that it?s impossible to confirm immediately whether or not flu-like illness occurring in the area is the H1N1 virus, because there are no testing outlets in Adams County.
?We have to send tests to Fort Wayne for testing; it takes several days to get results there,? said Busse.
Berne physician Dr. Kent Lehman had said earlier in the week that he is seeing a large mixture of illness in his office at the present time, including strep throat, mono, and flu-like illnesses.
Lehman said that not all illness was flu, but that some was. He noted that seasonal flu tests as a B virus and swine flu tests as an A flu. Lehman confirmed the fact that tests were indicating both types of flu in his office at the time.
In neighboring Van Wert County, Ohio, Emergency Management director Rick McCoy said that health officials there had called an emergency meeting to announce that they had no doubt that the swine flu had made its way into their county. He noted that they became suspicious when there was a dramatic rise in absentees in Crestview High School and Van Wert City schools.
McCoy said that Van Wert County Health Commissioner Dr. Paul Kalogerou told officials that the only reason why the spread of the virus has not been detected more extensively is because state officials are not currently testing for it.
?He specifically said, ?it?s here, we need to manage it and treat it accordingly, regardless of tests,?? McCoy said.
He noted that Van Wert County Hospital officials had decided to prohibit anyone under age 14 from visiting the hospital, and to remove all reading material from public waiting rooms.
McCoy said the H1N1 virus falls under the category of a pandemic because it is a novel (new) strain of flu, it causes infections in humans and human-to-human transmission is rapid and extensive. From the first reported case in April, it took less than two months (June 11) for the flu to be classified as a worldwide pandemic, he noted.
In Fort Wayne, medical officials advocated that those 18 years old and younger would be barred from visiting in area hospitals, due to the effect that H1N1 is having on youth.
posted by Clint Anderson @ 10:12 AM
<!-- Begin .post -->
Numbers rising in South Adams school absentees
By JIM LANGHAM
Berne Tri-Weekly News
Absenteeism at South Adams Schools continued to rise on Thursday with over 350 students out of school. That was up from Wednesday?s 301 reported missing from school, and up considerably from the 255 reported Tuesday.
In addition, three school events were canceled Thursday. The third grade musical was postponed until Oct. 22; the parent open house was also canceled as well as the previously scheduled Austin Miller benefit. The latter two will be rescheduled at a future date.
South Adams School Superintendent Cathy Egolf was out of town on
Thursday and not available for any comments.
However, County Health Nurse Louise Busse, said that her department is working as rapidly as possible to see that all medical outlets were equipped with the first shipment of H1N1 virus vaccine that had arrived earlier in the week.
Busse said that the immediate goal is to get vaccines to those considered at high risk, including pregnant women, caregivers and those who live with children under the age of six months, health care workers and emergency medical personnel, children and young adults, ages six months to 24 years, and those age 25-64 with medical problems such as asthma, lung disease, severe heart condition or serious illness such as cancer.
?We?re distributing it to all of the doctors and all appropriate outlets as quick as we can get it there,? said Busse.
Busse said that it?s impossible to confirm immediately whether or not flu-like illness occurring in the area is the H1N1 virus, because there are no testing outlets in Adams County.
?We have to send tests to Fort Wayne for testing; it takes several days to get results there,? said Busse.
Berne physician Dr. Kent Lehman had said earlier in the week that he is seeing a large mixture of illness in his office at the present time, including strep throat, mono, and flu-like illnesses.
Lehman said that not all illness was flu, but that some was. He noted that seasonal flu tests as a B virus and swine flu tests as an A flu. Lehman confirmed the fact that tests were indicating both types of flu in his office at the time.
In neighboring Van Wert County, Ohio, Emergency Management director Rick McCoy said that health officials there had called an emergency meeting to announce that they had no doubt that the swine flu had made its way into their county. He noted that they became suspicious when there was a dramatic rise in absentees in Crestview High School and Van Wert City schools.
McCoy said that Van Wert County Health Commissioner Dr. Paul Kalogerou told officials that the only reason why the spread of the virus has not been detected more extensively is because state officials are not currently testing for it.
?He specifically said, ?it?s here, we need to manage it and treat it accordingly, regardless of tests,?? McCoy said.
He noted that Van Wert County Hospital officials had decided to prohibit anyone under age 14 from visiting the hospital, and to remove all reading material from public waiting rooms.
McCoy said the H1N1 virus falls under the category of a pandemic because it is a novel (new) strain of flu, it causes infections in humans and human-to-human transmission is rapid and extensive. From the first reported case in April, it took less than two months (June 11) for the flu to be classified as a worldwide pandemic, he noted.
In Fort Wayne, medical officials advocated that those 18 years old and younger would be barred from visiting in area hospitals, due to the effect that H1N1 is having on youth.
posted by Clint Anderson @ 10:12 AM
