A communication released by the Oakland K-8 school district stated that there are no confirmed cases of H1N1 virus amongst the approximately 200 children reported absent with flu like symptoms. The letter stated that some students had tested positive for influenza, but none for H1N1, swine flu. Testing for H1N1 is not routine, and is usually not conducted unless the victim is showing extreme symptoms and/or is hospitalized.
Guidelines released, in a PDF document, on May 29th of this year offer healthcare professionals a flow chart to determine when testing should be conducted. In areas where little infection is present, a maximum of 5 specimens for H1N1 should be collected for testing. In those areas which have already been identified as having the virus present, testing is not warranted.
H1N1 has been reported at schools in Paramus, Ramsey, Hawthorne, and Fair Lawn with some closing for sanitization and others remaining open. Health officials are asking local residents to follow hygiene procedures to avoid transmission, and avoid work or school if showing flu like symptoms. It should also be noted that New Jersey is one of four states in America that the Center for Disease Control is reporting to be experiencing widespread influenza activity; the others being California, Arizona and Virgina.
The rash of absences began last week, and the local K-8 has been providing guidance in terms of reminding parents of how they should respond to flu like symptoms. There has yet to be any communication detailing the wide spread nature of the problem in terms of the exact number of students suffering symptoms, and this seems to be a major concern.
“I take my kids to see their grandparents who are pretty old, the last thing I want is bringing any flu into their home. I don’t care what kind of flu it is, they should have told us that this is a very contagious virus.”, complained one resident with a child attending an Oakland school. Similar concerns were expressed with regards to infants as the NYC Medical Examiner is expected to announce that an 11 month old Bronx baby has become a victim of H1N1, “We were at a baptism this weekend, and I would have thought twice about taking the kids if I had known. I don’t want to be the cause of a baby dying. Flu can kill, it does not have to be swine.”
Based on information on the confirmed deaths that have been reported so far, it appears that those fatalities occurred in people who had an underlying condition. Some conditions like asthma can make it harder for a person to fight off an influenza infection, and persons with such a condition should be especially vigilant in responding to signs of respiratory distress.
CDC officials are now agreeing that the quick response by European countries in isolating carriers of the virus is paying off. While parts of America, such as New Jersey, share similar seasons with European countries, those nations across the pond are not seeing the same spike in influenza activity as in NJ. It is also being recognized that the H1N1 often causes more disease in younger people, as in a school population, compared with the other strains that can be more common in older people.