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School closures do little to control H1N1: MD
By Sarah O'Donnell and Elise Stolte, Edmonton Journal
August 18, 2009 6:41 AMBe the first to post a comment
Closing schools is not a particularly effective way to control the spread of the H1N1 pandemic, Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health said Monday.
While health officials are discussing what conditions would trigger a school closure as a result of H1N1, Dr. Andre Corriveau said at a news conference in Calgary that such closures will have little impact on the spread of the virus.
"School closures generally don't have a lot of public health intervention value because the kids who might have the flu will have to go somewhere else," Corriveau said as he answered questions about Alberta's H1N1 preparations. "It does also create a lot of social disruption."
Corriveau's perspective on the possibility of H1N1-related school closures during the upcoming flu season come as school districts and postsecondary campuses ready for the start of a school year that will be underway at least two months before a vaccine is widely available.
Students can expect information campaigns about the importance of hand washing, cough etiquette and staying home for seven days if they come down with flu-like symptoms.
As part of its pandemic plan, Edmonton Public Schools delivered an influenza control kit to each school for use in its sick room. Each kit includes 200 surgical masks, disposable gloves, splash goggles, a digital thermometer and 200 thermometer covers, hand sanitizers, three rain suits and vomit cleanup kits.
Edmonton public spokeswoman Jane Sterling said the district also plans to collect more detailed information about the reasons for a student's absence. Symptoms, without identifying information, will be passed on to health officials to help identify trends.
Both the public and Catholic schools board said they are still working with health officials to determine when to close a school.
Spokeswoman Lori Nagy said that the Catholic district's pandemic team will meet today to review its state of readiness. In addition to a health and safety letter going home to all parents, the district will hold H1N1 information sessions for parents.
At post-secondary institutions, officials have launched poster campaigns and emergency planning teams.
Administrators will only shut the University of Alberta if the chief medical officer of health for the province says that people should stop congregating in public places. "The likely case is that's not going to happen," said Laird Burton, head of the office of emergency management. "The government would have to be involved in that sort of thing."
Officials at NAIT are looking at alternatives to traditional lectures and exams as part of contingency plans, said Paula Burns, associate vice-president academic. sodonnell@thejournal. canwest.com
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/School+closures+little+control+H1N1/1904093/story.html
By Sarah O'Donnell and Elise Stolte, Edmonton Journal
August 18, 2009 6:41 AMBe the first to post a comment
Closing schools is not a particularly effective way to control the spread of the H1N1 pandemic, Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health said Monday.
While health officials are discussing what conditions would trigger a school closure as a result of H1N1, Dr. Andre Corriveau said at a news conference in Calgary that such closures will have little impact on the spread of the virus.
"School closures generally don't have a lot of public health intervention value because the kids who might have the flu will have to go somewhere else," Corriveau said as he answered questions about Alberta's H1N1 preparations. "It does also create a lot of social disruption."
Corriveau's perspective on the possibility of H1N1-related school closures during the upcoming flu season come as school districts and postsecondary campuses ready for the start of a school year that will be underway at least two months before a vaccine is widely available.
Students can expect information campaigns about the importance of hand washing, cough etiquette and staying home for seven days if they come down with flu-like symptoms.
As part of its pandemic plan, Edmonton Public Schools delivered an influenza control kit to each school for use in its sick room. Each kit includes 200 surgical masks, disposable gloves, splash goggles, a digital thermometer and 200 thermometer covers, hand sanitizers, three rain suits and vomit cleanup kits.
Edmonton public spokeswoman Jane Sterling said the district also plans to collect more detailed information about the reasons for a student's absence. Symptoms, without identifying information, will be passed on to health officials to help identify trends.
Both the public and Catholic schools board said they are still working with health officials to determine when to close a school.
Spokeswoman Lori Nagy said that the Catholic district's pandemic team will meet today to review its state of readiness. In addition to a health and safety letter going home to all parents, the district will hold H1N1 information sessions for parents.
At post-secondary institutions, officials have launched poster campaigns and emergency planning teams.
Administrators will only shut the University of Alberta if the chief medical officer of health for the province says that people should stop congregating in public places. "The likely case is that's not going to happen," said Laird Burton, head of the office of emergency management. "The government would have to be involved in that sort of thing."
Officials at NAIT are looking at alternatives to traditional lectures and exams as part of contingency plans, said Paula Burns, associate vice-president academic. sodonnell@thejournal. canwest.com
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/School+closures+little+control+H1N1/1904093/story.html