Lynn schools gird for fall flu threat

LYNN – With the start of school just weeks away, health officials are once again urging parents to make sure children carry hand sanitizer and wash up frequently to prevent any spread of the contagious H1N1 virus, commonly known as Swine Flu.The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been working this summer to develop a vaccine for the pig-born strain of influenza, but have indicated that most Americans will not be fully vaccinated until after Thanksgiving.The first batch of vaccine is expected to be released by mid-October, but officials say it is likely that the process will require two shots spaced weeks apart.According to a White House report, it is estimated that 20 to 40 percent of Americans will suffer from some sort of Swine Flu symptoms this fall, with about half of those individuals becoming sick enough to visit a doctor.The delay means that students who are returning to school are once again at risk to contract or spread the disease, which has remained strong this summer among children in summer camps.Public Health Director Maryanne O’Connor said Thursday that the city is still awaiting details on the H1N1 vaccine, but does expect that the first vaccines will be issued to people under 24 years old.”Swine Flu is different because it seems to be the most severe in healthy young people and pregnant women, whereas seasonal flu usually targets the elderly,” she said.Superintendent Catherine Latham said the city and the department are concerned with the risks of Swine Flu coming into this school year, as it appears to be appearing with more frequency among children. She and O’Connor are working with state health officials to develop an action plan when it comes to preventing the spread of the disease and say they are looking at how vaccinations will work when they are eventually available.”We have a conference call scheduled I think at the beginning of next week where we expect to discuss that more,” said Latham. “We are very concerned with it and we are dealing with what we are going to do right now.”O’Connor said for the first time, the school department will also offer seasonal flu vaccines to students in the schools this year. A consent form will be sent home to parents early in the school year, and any student who wishes to be vaccinated will have an opportunity to do so for free.The city has also scheduled vaccination dates for all residents over 65 on Oct. 8 at Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute and Oct. 22 at Lynn English High School.At the state level, the focus on bringing the vaccine to schools has derailed a controversial initiative that required schools to measure students’ body mass index, supposedly to help prevent obesity in children.State officials now say that initiative has been put on hold now that the focus has turned back to H1N1.Officially, the Lynn Health Department dealt with three cases of Swine Flu during the previous school year, as a teacher at Harrington Elementary School and two St. Pius V students were diagnosed with the virus in late May and early June, however school and city health officials say they suspect more people in the city suffered from the virus but did not seek treatment believing it was the seasonal flu.The teacher and two students were held out of school for at least seven days, and told not to return until 48 hours after a lingering cough subsided. Although other students did come down with flu symptoms and missed school as a precaution, none were officially diagnosed with the Swine Flu.The H1N1 virus has claimed several lives in the six months since it originated in Mexico, but the death toll remains significantly less than that of traditional influenza, but according to government figures, the estimated death toll this year could reach 30,000 people, just 6,000 less than the national average death toll of the seasonal flu.To avoid spread of the disease once school begins, the School Department asking parents to make sure students are equipped with hand san