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‘Fog’ used to sanitize school
Flu vigilance heightens with nearly 20 percent of Braddock Middle students out sick
CUMBERLAND — Health officials started giving H1N1 flu mist vaccinations to Allegany County schoolchildren on Monday, but it will probably be weeks before enough supplies are available to protect the entire student body.
Meanwhile, close to 20 percent of students at Braddock Middle School were out sick on Tuesday, causing school officials to step up efforts to keep the virus at bay.
Custodians used sanitizing “fog” in every classroom at Braddock Monday night and are using “tons of disinfectants” throughout the school system, said Loralee Farrell, director of Health and Family Life. Of the 133 students absent from Braddock on Tuesday, four had confirmed cases of H1N1, Farrell said.
Typically, around 5 percent to 7 percent of students are absent this time of year, Principal Danny Carter said.
“We’re paying very, very close attention, not just to Braddock, but to all the schools,” Farrell said, adding that there is no pre-determined threshold for when the Board of Education might close a school. The surge in absenteeism at Braddock is so far the most dramatic in the county this year, she said.
“We’ve never had this virus before,” Farrell said. “We’re just going to have to watch it day by day and make decisions according to that.”
About 700 students at Georges Creek, Beall, Westernport and Frost elementary schools received vaccinations before supplies ran out Tuesday morning, forcing the Allegany County Health Department to postpone clinics scheduled at 14 other schools this week, said Carol Kenny, director of nursing.
“They told us early on that the H1N1 mist would be limited,” Kenny said. “They told us at the state that it will come in like a trickle of water, then it will become a stream, and then a river.”
Some injectable H1N1 vaccine remains available and is being distributed to priority groups, including pregnant women and children ages 6 months to 4, Kenny said. Though supplies are limited for now, the health department doesn’t expect to have a shortage of vaccines for those who need them, said Brenda Caldwell, spokeswoman.
“I know there is probably some frustration out there that we don’t have the vaccine right now,” Caldwell said. “We’re asking the public’s cooperation. It’s a gradual rollout. As we get it, we’ll be cranking it out as quickly as we can. I think we have a civic responsibility to get the vaccine first to the people who need it most.”
Particularly vulnerable to H1N1 are young children, pregnant women and people with underlying health conditions, including asthma. Incidence of H1N1 is “widespread” in Maryland, Kenny said, though it’s not the only illness keeping children out of school.
“I think the ERs are seeing flu-like symptoms, colds, seasonal allergies, probably strep — the things that you normally see when the kids go back to school this time of year,” she said. “If you’re sick, especially if you’re running a fever, stay home.”
Across the state, health officials reported receiving fewer supplies of the H1N1 vaccine than expected, according to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
In Allegany County, Amanda Michaels’ two school-age children received H1N1 flu mist vaccinations on Monday. Still, she can’t help but worry.
“We just got a letter today that they have the first confirmed case of H1N1 at Frost,” said Michaels, who has a pre-kindergartner and first-grader at Frost Elementary School and a 10-month-old at home.
She wonders why schools aren’t being closed to protect children from getting sick.
The health department’s Caldwell doesn’t want the public to overreact.
“I would caution people against speculating about who has the flu and who doesn’t,” she said. “We know it’s in the area because it’s everywhere. But that kind of speculation inevitably leads people to panic. We don’t want people to panic unnecessarily.”
Contact Kristin Harty Barkley at kharty@times-news.com.
