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Flu sends two Lloyd George students to hospital
By JASON HEWLETT
Daily News Staff Reporter
October 15, 2009
Kamloops ? Two Grade 1 students at Lloyd George elementary have been hospitalized with flu-like symptoms, prompting staff to take extra precautions to prevent a possible H1N1 outbreak at the school.
But the Kamloops-Thompson School District has no plans to close Lloyd George unless directed to do so by the Interior Health Authority.
Principal Bruce Mitchell said Wednesday the children are in the same classroom where a number of students were sick with flu-like symptoms on Friday. The two who fell ill did so on the weekend and were taken to hospital.
He would not say the gender of the students and is not aware of either having underlying health concerns.
?They were not on our medical alert list,? said Mitchell.
Custodial staff is taking extra care while cleaning and sanitizing the school, with special attention paid to the classroom with the ill children.
?That?s their primary job right now,? Mitchell said.
Parents were notified about the hospitalized students Wednesday and will be updated about the number of absentees at the school.
He said eight per cent of the student population was home sick with flu symptoms on Tuesday and five per cent were absent Wednesday.
?Five per cent is not a good level of absentees, but we have had higher at other times of the year,? he said.
Dr. Rob Parker, a medical health officer for the IHA, said there is no public health rationale to close Lloyd George.
He said the only way schools will close is if enough students and staff fall ill or are hospitalized with swine flu to prevent the school from operating properly.
Interior Health is notified as soon as absentee rates reach 10 per cent at any school in the district. Parker said there are many schools in the region with less than 10 per cent, but the majority of absences are because of influenza.
He said everyone has been instructed if they feel any symptoms of the swine flu ? cough, achiness, fatigue, fever, runny nose, etc. ? they should stay home so they get better and not infect anyone.
Lloyd George isn?t the only school suffering from influenza. School district Supt. Terry Sullivan said 10 per cent of students at NorKam secondary were home with symptoms Wednesday.
Not every case can be attributed to swine flu, but the virus is in the community, he said.
?Obviously there is an influenza at NorKam and certainly at Lloyd George,? said Sullivan.
The district geared up for swine flu last week, with extra soap dispensers and reminders about hand washing.
Sullivan said it appears that wave arrived this week, and he expects absences to increase in the weeks ahead.
Staff at Thompson Rivers University has kept close watch on students as well in an effort to prevent swine flu from overtaking the institution.
Joanne Jones, TRU?s pandemic planning co-ordinator, said attendance is taken in key courses across campus, with absentees tracked by university staff. Faculty does not normally keep track of absences.
She said 1,000 of the campus?s 10,000 students are counted, with the absentee rate hovering below 10 per cent. The total does not include faculty and staff.
?I know there have been lots of faculty and staff ill,? said Jones. ?We definitely have more cases this week compared to last.?
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/...u-sends-two-lloyd-george-students-to-hospital
By JASON HEWLETT
Daily News Staff Reporter
October 15, 2009
Kamloops ? Two Grade 1 students at Lloyd George elementary have been hospitalized with flu-like symptoms, prompting staff to take extra precautions to prevent a possible H1N1 outbreak at the school.
But the Kamloops-Thompson School District has no plans to close Lloyd George unless directed to do so by the Interior Health Authority.
Principal Bruce Mitchell said Wednesday the children are in the same classroom where a number of students were sick with flu-like symptoms on Friday. The two who fell ill did so on the weekend and were taken to hospital.
He would not say the gender of the students and is not aware of either having underlying health concerns.
?They were not on our medical alert list,? said Mitchell.
Custodial staff is taking extra care while cleaning and sanitizing the school, with special attention paid to the classroom with the ill children.
?That?s their primary job right now,? Mitchell said.
Parents were notified about the hospitalized students Wednesday and will be updated about the number of absentees at the school.
He said eight per cent of the student population was home sick with flu symptoms on Tuesday and five per cent were absent Wednesday.
?Five per cent is not a good level of absentees, but we have had higher at other times of the year,? he said.
Dr. Rob Parker, a medical health officer for the IHA, said there is no public health rationale to close Lloyd George.
He said the only way schools will close is if enough students and staff fall ill or are hospitalized with swine flu to prevent the school from operating properly.
Interior Health is notified as soon as absentee rates reach 10 per cent at any school in the district. Parker said there are many schools in the region with less than 10 per cent, but the majority of absences are because of influenza.
He said everyone has been instructed if they feel any symptoms of the swine flu ? cough, achiness, fatigue, fever, runny nose, etc. ? they should stay home so they get better and not infect anyone.
Lloyd George isn?t the only school suffering from influenza. School district Supt. Terry Sullivan said 10 per cent of students at NorKam secondary were home with symptoms Wednesday.
Not every case can be attributed to swine flu, but the virus is in the community, he said.
?Obviously there is an influenza at NorKam and certainly at Lloyd George,? said Sullivan.
The district geared up for swine flu last week, with extra soap dispensers and reminders about hand washing.
Sullivan said it appears that wave arrived this week, and he expects absences to increase in the weeks ahead.
Staff at Thompson Rivers University has kept close watch on students as well in an effort to prevent swine flu from overtaking the institution.
Joanne Jones, TRU?s pandemic planning co-ordinator, said attendance is taken in key courses across campus, with absentees tracked by university staff. Faculty does not normally keep track of absences.
She said 1,000 of the campus?s 10,000 students are counted, with the absentee rate hovering below 10 per cent. The total does not include faculty and staff.
?I know there have been lots of faculty and staff ill,? said Jones. ?We definitely have more cases this week compared to last.?
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/...u-sends-two-lloyd-george-students-to-hospital