Sonoma Valley schools on Monday put into place recommendations for dealing with the recent outbreak of swine flu.
“We’re asking all of our school sites to identify those families known to have travelled outside the country over Spring Break,” said Nanci Mathison, director of student services for the district.
Also, as of Monday, the Sonoma County Office of Education and the Sonoma County Department of Health Services are asking students whose families travelled to Mexico specifically to remain at home for 24 hours before returning to school. However, as most families were unaware of a potential hazardous health outbreak, students returned to school last week after the break, making this recommendation moot.
Given that, said Mathison, school nurses and health technicians are on the alert for any students exhibiting flu-like symptoms.
“We haven’t seen any symptoms yet,” said Mathison. “If we do, we will send that student home and ask them to see their family doctor, who can make a recommendation.”
The school district works closely with Sonoma Valley Pediatrics and the Sonoma Valley Health Clinic to monitor the situation. The district has also put a guide from SCOE entitled, “Swine Flu: A Parents Guide,” in both English and Spanish on its Web site at sonomavly.k12.ca.us.
In the County
As of Tuesday, there have been no confirmed cases of swine flu in Sonoma County. However, the County has opened its public health surge center and is actively tracking the swine flu situation nationally and locally. The Sonoma County Public Health Laboratory is conducting tests on specimens from Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties. Specimens must be collected and submitted through a medical provider (i.e., a doctor’s office). If a case is positively identified in Sonoma County, that information will be posted on this website.
Two confirmed cases have been reported in Marin County, according to Sergeant Gary Wilbanks. A 60 year-old woman and her granddaughter, who recently travelled to Mexico came down with moderate flu symptoms and tested positively for the virus. They have been treated and are recovering. Other family members showed no symptoms but were treated as a precaution.
Statewide
As of Tuesday, Governor Schwarzenegger declared a State of Emergency for California as the number of swine flu cases continued to climb, with the possibility that a California man may have died. This state of emergency declaration facilitates coordination between local public health offices and the California Emergency Management Agency.
Swine flu details
Swine flu typically doesn’t infect people and the rare human cases that have occurred in the past have mainly affected people who have had direct contact with pigs. But the current swine flu outbreak is different in that it is caused by a new flu virus that spreads from person to person – and it’s happening among people who haven’t had contact with pigs.
Symptoms of swine flu are like those of regular flu including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches, chills, and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu.
If you have flu symptoms and have recently been to a high-risk area like Mexico, CDC officials recommend seeing your doctor. Your doctor will not immediately be able to determine whether you have swine flu but will take a sample from you and send it to a state health department lab for testing to see if it is indeed swine flu. If your doctor suspects swine flu, he or she can prescribe Tamiflu or Relenza, although these drugs are not required and U.S. swine flu patients have made a full recovery without them.
Recommended precautions that assist in preventing the spreading of flu include:
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water.
• Most importantly, stay home from work or school and avoid public gatherings if you are sick.
