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Source: http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/10/po...swine-flu.html
Portsmouth school chief: Student death may be swine flu
1:27 PM Tue, Oct 27, 2009 | Permalink
Gina Macris
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. -- A student attending private school in town died Monday of what is believed to be swine flu, according to an e-mail Schools Supt. Susan F. Lusi sent to parents.
The Department of Health, meanwhile, said Tuesday only that they are testing for the H1N1 virus and doing an autopsy on a person under the age of 18.
Lusi wrote, "I received word this evening that a student from a local private school may have passed away from the disease. I say "may have" because I have not received any direct confirmation from the school involved. My heart goes out to any children and families who have been so severely affected by this disease. At the same time, though, I want to remind all of us that it is important for us, as adults, to remain calm and thoughtful as we guide our children through a challenging time. In this vein, I want to share how we are reporting on and handling H1N1 cases (or more frequently, probable cases) in the Portsmouth schools.
Lusi did not identify which school in her e-mail.
Lusi, meanwhile, said there has been a small number of laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 in Portsmouth public schools but have not reported every probable or confirmed case to the public because that is not the protocol recommended by the Department of Health.
She reiterated the steps intended to prevent the disease: covering the nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing, using the elbow, when possible, rather than the hands, frequent and thorough hand-washing, using hand sanitizer, staying home while sick and not returning to school or work until 24 hours after a fever has passed.
Read the text of Lusi's e-mail to parents:
"Dear Families and Other Members of the Portsmouth Community,
"I know that all of us are very concerned about H1N1 and the impact that it could have on our children. I received word this evening that a student from a local private school may have passed away from the disease. I say "may have" because I have not received any direct confirmation from the school involved. My heart goes out to any children and families who have been so severely affected by this disease. At the same time, though, I want to remind all of us that it is important for us, as adults, to remain calm and thoughtful as we guide our children through a challenging time. In this vein, I want to share how we are reporting on and handling H1N1 cases (or more frequently, probable cases) in the Portsmouth schools.
"Portsmouth, and all Rhode Island school districts, have been reporting daily attendance every day to the RI Departments of Education and Health (RIDE and DOH). DOH is monitoring this attendance data looking for spikes in absenteeism, as these spikes may be an indication of the spread of H1N1. We have not had elevated absenteeism in Portsmouth until today. Today, all of our schools, with the exception of the middle school, had higher than average absentee rates. However, absenteeism remained below 10% in all instances. We will continue to monitor absenteeism and report it on a daily basis so that DOH can monitor our system closely.
"I also received a parent inquiry today regarding notifying parents of H1N1 cases in our schools. We have had cases of what is probably H1N1 in all of our schools. I say "probably H1N1" because in many cases children do not go to the doctor for their flu-like symptoms, or if they do, the doctor does not test them, but simply tells parents to assume it is H1N1. My understanding is that at this point, DOH is recommending testing only for the purposes of monitoring a potential outbreak and under a few other limited circumstances. DOH has directed doctors and hospitals not to test in many cases. We have also had a very small number of laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 in Portsmouth schools. We are not reporting every probable or confirmed case to the public because that is not the state recommended protocol. We have H1N1 in our schools and will probably have more of it, but the preventive steps we all need to take do not change: Covering your nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing, using your elbow, rather than your hands; washing your hands frequently and well, or using hand sanitizer; staying home if you're sick; and if you do get sick, staying home until you are fever free without any medication for 24 hours. DOH is also recommending that children receive the H1N1 vaccine as it becomes available through school immunization clinics; but having your child immunized is voluntary and will not be done without signed parental consent.
"We will continue to follow the protocols outlined above unless and until DOH advises otherwise. I will also continue to keep you informed of any changes or new information. Please continue to remind your children about hand washing, covering their noses and mouths, not sharing water bottles, etc. We all need to be careful and calm, so that we can guide our children as best as possible at this time. "
Portsmouth school chief: Student death may be swine flu
1:27 PM Tue, Oct 27, 2009 | Permalink
Gina Macris
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. -- A student attending private school in town died Monday of what is believed to be swine flu, according to an e-mail Schools Supt. Susan F. Lusi sent to parents.
The Department of Health, meanwhile, said Tuesday only that they are testing for the H1N1 virus and doing an autopsy on a person under the age of 18.
Lusi wrote, "I received word this evening that a student from a local private school may have passed away from the disease. I say "may have" because I have not received any direct confirmation from the school involved. My heart goes out to any children and families who have been so severely affected by this disease. At the same time, though, I want to remind all of us that it is important for us, as adults, to remain calm and thoughtful as we guide our children through a challenging time. In this vein, I want to share how we are reporting on and handling H1N1 cases (or more frequently, probable cases) in the Portsmouth schools.
Lusi did not identify which school in her e-mail.
Lusi, meanwhile, said there has been a small number of laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 in Portsmouth public schools but have not reported every probable or confirmed case to the public because that is not the protocol recommended by the Department of Health.
She reiterated the steps intended to prevent the disease: covering the nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing, using the elbow, when possible, rather than the hands, frequent and thorough hand-washing, using hand sanitizer, staying home while sick and not returning to school or work until 24 hours after a fever has passed.
Read the text of Lusi's e-mail to parents:
"Dear Families and Other Members of the Portsmouth Community,
"I know that all of us are very concerned about H1N1 and the impact that it could have on our children. I received word this evening that a student from a local private school may have passed away from the disease. I say "may have" because I have not received any direct confirmation from the school involved. My heart goes out to any children and families who have been so severely affected by this disease. At the same time, though, I want to remind all of us that it is important for us, as adults, to remain calm and thoughtful as we guide our children through a challenging time. In this vein, I want to share how we are reporting on and handling H1N1 cases (or more frequently, probable cases) in the Portsmouth schools.
"Portsmouth, and all Rhode Island school districts, have been reporting daily attendance every day to the RI Departments of Education and Health (RIDE and DOH). DOH is monitoring this attendance data looking for spikes in absenteeism, as these spikes may be an indication of the spread of H1N1. We have not had elevated absenteeism in Portsmouth until today. Today, all of our schools, with the exception of the middle school, had higher than average absentee rates. However, absenteeism remained below 10% in all instances. We will continue to monitor absenteeism and report it on a daily basis so that DOH can monitor our system closely.
"I also received a parent inquiry today regarding notifying parents of H1N1 cases in our schools. We have had cases of what is probably H1N1 in all of our schools. I say "probably H1N1" because in many cases children do not go to the doctor for their flu-like symptoms, or if they do, the doctor does not test them, but simply tells parents to assume it is H1N1. My understanding is that at this point, DOH is recommending testing only for the purposes of monitoring a potential outbreak and under a few other limited circumstances. DOH has directed doctors and hospitals not to test in many cases. We have also had a very small number of laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 in Portsmouth schools. We are not reporting every probable or confirmed case to the public because that is not the state recommended protocol. We have H1N1 in our schools and will probably have more of it, but the preventive steps we all need to take do not change: Covering your nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing, using your elbow, rather than your hands; washing your hands frequently and well, or using hand sanitizer; staying home if you're sick; and if you do get sick, staying home until you are fever free without any medication for 24 hours. DOH is also recommending that children receive the H1N1 vaccine as it becomes available through school immunization clinics; but having your child immunized is voluntary and will not be done without signed parental consent.
"We will continue to follow the protocols outlined above unless and until DOH advises otherwise. I will also continue to keep you informed of any changes or new information. Please continue to remind your children about hand washing, covering their noses and mouths, not sharing water bottles, etc. We all need to be careful and calm, so that we can guide our children as best as possible at this time. "
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