School Closings Not Recommended for H1N1 Outbreak
School closings are no longer recommended for controlling the spread of the H1N1 “swine flu” virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta issued new recommendations today, which focus instead on personal responsibility and keeping infected individuals at home for at least seven days. CDC Acting Director Richard Besser, MD said the changes were the result of some key findings:
- H1N1 is not as severe as originally thought and is presenting itself more like seasonal flu.
- Schools reporting H1N1 infections are in communities where the disease has already shown up in the general public.
- School closings are “incredibly burdensome and difficult,” according to Dr. Besser, who said the CDC has heard stories of working parents dropping their children off at public libraries because they lack adequate home care.
The median age of persons infected with H1N1 is 16. Why so young?
One theory is that youthful populations, such as spring breakers in Mexico, were the first to be exposed to the disease. Another possibility is that older people have developed more resistance to the H1N1 strain through annual exposure to seasonal flu or flu vaccines.
Dr. Besser said it’s unclear whether either theory is true, but the CDC is actively investigating.
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Tags: CDC, flu, H1N1, influenza, swine flu
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Jonathan Serrie is an Atlanta-based correspondent for FNC. He was
stationed in Macedonia during Operation Allied Force and in Uzbekistan
during Operation Enduring Freedom. 
Good news for a change!! thank you very much.
and this is a very good thing…. snow days PLUS flu days?!? so not good…. now post please..
As mild as this version of H1N1 is, everyone truly needs to “catch” it now. Stop trying to prevent infection. It’s like avoiding chickenpox as a child only to have a devastating infection as an adult. The 1918 influenza pandemic was mild in the spring, and came back (mutated) in the fall. Those that had contracted the flu in the spring were naturally immunized against the influenza strain in the fall. Our government is not going to be able to develop a vaccine soon enough for the spring scare, and may not have it right for the upcoming winter season. Fortunately, THIS flu is susceptible to Tamiflu, so if you have to catch a flu because you are unvaccinated, this ain’t bad. You COULD catch one of the ordinary influenza H1N1’s – but 1/3 of those are resistant to Tamiflu. And remember, the traditional influenzas (Type A H1N1 and Type B) kill over 30,000 in the US every year. Get a good case of Swine Flu, get over it, and be safe if this bad boy comes back with a vengeance.
As usual . . . . here in America, it’s all about the Mighty Dollar and staying ahead of the Jone’s. It’s a shame that parent’s are more worried about being inconvenienced than worrying that their children are going to be exposed to a potentially severe case of the flu. It has only been just a few weeks that we’ve had this flu in the states, we really don’t know how long it was in Mexico.
Of course it doesn’t help matters any when companies don’t even want to hire people with young children, because they don’t want the potential of their worker bee to have to stay at home due to a sickness. Many parent’s don’t have an alternative option if their kids are sick, if they miss too much work, they are subject to loosing their jobs.
I personally know the burdens of juggling a large family and work, especially in today’s economic situation, but, it is time for people to start putting their priorities in the right place.
[...] Preliminary genetic testing of the virus strain have already shown it does not contain the genes present in the 1918 flu virus which are believed to have contributed to its deadliness. Meanwhile, even as the flu strain continues to spread (now confirmed in numerous countries worldwide), the extreme precautions and responses that were initially being taken are now being reevaluated. The CDC is now stating that closing of schools due to a student testing positive for the H1N1 strain…. [...]