Flu absences swell at Valley schools

There’s no value in counting H1N1 cases because they’re so prevalent, Mahoning County’s health chief said.

STAFF REPORT

WARREN — Though no records are available to prove it, the Trumbull County Health Department reports some schools in the county are experiencing a high number of student absences because of flulike illness.

“We know the schools are seeing a lot of cases of the flu,” said Selene Layton, director of nursing for the Trumbull County Health Department. She added that the number of cases is higher than would be expected at this time of year from normal seasonal flu.

Seasonal flu is usually highest in December and February, Layton said.

“Overall, it’s not an especially serious strain of the [H1N1] flu right now, and we hope that won’t change,” Layton said. Treatment for H1N1, or swine flu, is no different than for regular seasonal flu, she added.

The symptoms of the 2009 H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea. People may have the flu, including 2009 H1N1 and have respiratory symptoms without a fever, the CDC says.

There is no central collection point for the numbers of students and teachers calling off in Trumbull County, but schools, hospitals and nursing homes are being asked to voluntarily report flulike illness on a weekly basis to the county health department.

Data from those reports indicate Trumbull County schools had a large increase in flu cases the last two weeks of September, the most recent weeks for which numbers are available.

About 1,200 cases were reported by schools during the next-to-last week of September and about 700 the last week of September-early October. Almost no flu cases were reported those weeks in 2008, the data show.

Layton said she believes part of the spike in absences is related to people being advised to stay home if they are sick this year and part of it is related to people not having an immunity to the H1N1 virus.

No Trumbull County schools have closed as a result of flu-like illness, Layton said. That may be in part because the CDC has advised schools to remain open “unless the school can’t function,” she said.

Susan Kovach, an epidemiologist with the Mahoning County District Board of Health, said it did not have information on the number of local flu cases because they have to be reported to health authorities only if a patient is hospitalized or in case of a pediatric death.

Matthew Stefanak, Mahoning County health commissioner, said, “H1N1 is so prevalent; there are so many cases that it’s of no value to count them.”

Neil Altman, health commissioner for the Youngstown City Health District, however, said the number of people with the flu, “depends on who you listen to.”

He said he had heard people saying many have the flu.

“Is that accurate? Probably not,” Altman said.

Youngstown State University earlier received and administered 50 doses of seasonal-flu vaccine to students to prevent the regular flu.

YSU spokesman Ron Cole said the 50 doses went very quickly. The doses were administered by Dr. Lisa Weiss from the Mahoning County District Board of Health. The campus has 14,600 students.

Cole said YSU has had five reported H1N1 cases and one case of the regular flu since the semester began in August.

The university’s Office of the Provost on Wednesday released information to the faculty and students about the flu.

The provost’s office also referred staff and faculty to a similar question-and-answer pages about the CDC’s guidance for institutions of higher learning http://pandemicflu.gov/professional/school/higheredfaq.html

YSU faculty and staff were urged to review the material. For example, faculty are urged to adopt less stringent attendance policies and excuse students without notes from doctors.

Cole said the numbers of those on campus with the flu remain small.

“You hear of one here and one there,” Cole said.

Layton said the Trumbull County Health Department is preparing to start vaccinations at county schools the first week of November.

Pat Guliano, acting superintendent of LaBrae schools, said H1N1 vaccinations will be handled by the county health department, and no student will be given the vaccination until a parent or guardian gives permission.

Guliano said the amount of sickness in LaBrae is “about normal for flu season” with about 30 children off school per day this week. Most of those were off only a day or two at a time, he said.

Almost no teachers have called off sick, he added.

runyan@vindy.com