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Both kinds of flu hitting area schools

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By Margo Rutledge Kissell, Staff Writer Updated 11:25 AM Friday, October 9, 2009

HUBER HEIGHTS — The Huber Heights City School District has had two confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu but both students are now back at school, Superintendent Bill Kirby said Thursday, Oct. 8.

The Studebaker Middle School eighth-grader has since returned to class after being sick two weeks ago. A Menlo Park Elementary third-grader who was out sick a week ago also has returned, he said.

The elementary school principal contacted the parents of only seven of the third-grader’s classmates because those children also were out sick the same day. Kirby said school officials wanted to alert those parents about what symptoms to look for if the children had the flu but none of those children had H1N1, also known as swine flu.

The schools are being disinfected on an “as needed basis” for both H1N1 and seasonal flu, he said.

The school district also has ordered alcohol-based hand cleaning dispensers suggested by Public Health — Dayton and Montgomery County. Kirby said they plan to place those in all of the district’s 10 schools, especially in areas such as cafeterias, nurses’ offices and computer rooms “where kids do a lot of touching the keys.”

Jennifer Birtle, a spokeswoman for the Mad River Local School District in Riverside, said the district has had no confirmed cases of H1N1 but has been hit by the seasonal flu.

“We are seeing a lot of flu cases in grades 7 through 12,” she said. “We have 100 kids out today between those grades.”

The district has 1,700 students in grades 7-12.

Mad River sent out a One Call Now message to parents offering information about the flu and a letter will go home with students Friday with those same tips.

“Hear and see it, that’s our motto,” Birtle said. “We’re just being proactive in our message to parents and staff to stay healthy and wash hands and, if sick, please don’t come to school.”

Bethany Reiff, public relations coordinator for the Vandalia-Butler City School District, said Thursday she was not aware of any H1N1 cases there.

“We have not had to do any One Calls related to the flu issues,” she said.

But like Huber Heights, Mad River and other area school districts, Vandalia-Butler has sent home information about avoiding the flu. The district also keeps its web site updated with tips from the public health department on preventing the flu.

Those tips include:

Get your flu vaccine.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home from work, school and errands when you are sick.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
Wash your hands often and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food.

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