H1N1 Influenza Information
To help keep you informed about the H1N1 virus, USD 281 now has a link to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's web site (the button labeled KDHE). The link was provided to our district by Sydnee Beydler, RN, of the Graham County Health Department (phone 421-3326).
The following message about the H1N1 virus is from Mark Thompson, Project Director, Kansas Coordinated School Health:
As you know by now, a new type of influenza (flu), referred to
as H1N1, is currently being seen in Kansas and throughout the
United States as well as in 160 countries around the globe. In June
2009, the World Health Organization declared that a pandemic—a
global epidemic—had begun.
So far, H1N1 has been shown to disproportionately affect
school-aged children. With one-fifth of the U.S. population in
schools (students and staff), the implementation of policies and
procedures designed to limit the impact on this population is very
important. The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) is
collaborating with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment
(KDHE) to address measures specifically involving schools. To this
end, we have recently launched the H1N1 webpage on the KSDE website
to provide timely information to schools. This webpage also
includes other links to H1N1 sites.
Limiting the spread of flu in schools during a pandemic requires a new perspective. We need to expect the unexpected. Parents, teachers and administrators alike need to work hard to keep schools open and be ready if schools must close suddenly. Students and staff have to give up the notion that absences are to be avoided at all costs. Perfect attendance should not be the goal. Above all, we must be adaptable to rapid change. Working together, we can slow the spread of pandemic flu in Kansas!
