Schools Won’t Necessarily Close: H1N1

When we hear of illness outbreaks, we often also hear of school closings. This is done with the hope of containing contagious illnesses and minimizing the spread and impact. However, with a new school year dawning in the United States, this may not be the case with regards to the H1N1 virus, the so-called swine flu.

There are a lot of issues to take into account when schools are closed en masse. Parents must scramble for child care, stay home and lose income, or leave their children unattended if they’re desperate enough. This can have a domino effect for the families, employees, and ultimately the community.

After watching how the influenza is making its way across the other side of the world, the experts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – with the information they have now – feel that if there are no major wide-spread contamination scenarios, schools could stay open for the most part.

Emphasis will be placed on good hygiene (coughing and sneezing into the elbow, hand washing), keeping children home who are sick, and maybe even options of certain parts of some schools reserved for children who are recovering from the flu.

The developed world hasn’t seen a pandemic for the past several decades and much has changed over the years. For this reason, researchers and policy makers are making decisions based on what they are learning, what has been done in the past and what seems to make sense. But, like many things in life, this is also a work in progress, so if the situation changes, so must our reactions. In other words, it’s best to stay informed because the information you receive may change.

The best thing you can do? Take care of yourself. Wash your hands. Don’t go out if you’re sick. Be prepared.

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