SILOAM SPRINGS — Swine flu has made its presence known in schools here. The number of students with flu symptoms spiked to 179 two weeks ago, said Joey Cox, nursing supervisor for Siloam Springs School District. When the number of students with symptoms jumped more than 70 in one week, “we knew it was going to be something,” Cox said. A total of 533 students have experienced flu-like symptoms so far this year in the district. “We started the year off with it,” Cox said. Six students had symptoms the first week of school. Siloam Springs School District has kept track of the number of students with flu symptoms at all schools in the district this year. The number with symptoms decreased about 30 students last week compared to the 179 reported the previous week.

Seeing this many symptoms this early in the school year leads Cox to believe that the confirmed cases of the flu are swine flu.

Numbers like this don’t usually occur until January or February when the seasonal flu hits the hardest, she said.

Several of the students who were sent home with the symptoms have been confirmed to have the type A flu, Cox said.

Swine flu, or H1N1, is a strain of type A flu.

“If they test positive for A, they assume it’s swine flu,” Cox said.

Students who show flu symptoms are isolated until they can be picked up from school.

Teachers have been made aware of the symptoms, Cox said.

Symptoms include fever of more than 100 degrees, headache, body aches, sore throat, dry cough, runny nose, and in some cases vomiting and diarrhea, according to Arkansas Department of Health.

Students are not allowed to return to school until they have no fever for 24 hours without medicine, Cox said.

Teachers are telling students about preventing the spread of germs by showing them proper handwashing and advising them not to share cell phones or drinks, she said.

Also, every classroom has hand sanitizer in it.

The presence of swine flu in the schools has been no indicator of how bad the regular seasonal flu will be this winter.

“We really don’t know what to expect,” Cox said.

She’s uncertain if students’ immune systems weakened by swine flu will cause them to come down with the regular flu even worse.

She just hopes everyone will get a flu shot.

Flu shot clinics will be offered at all schools in the district the week of Nov. 16.

Nurses in the community and with the Benton County Health Unit will join forces with the school district for the clinics, Cox said.

“We’re working with schools to provide seasonal vaccines,” said Loy Bailey, director of the Benton County Health Unit.

Up to eight nurses will be giving vaccines to students, Cox said.

Both the H1N1 flu vaccine and seasonal flu vaccines will be given to all students with parents’ or guardians’ permission, she said.

Students have until Friday to return permission slips from parents or guardians allowing them to receive the vaccines.

The high school will give the shots from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 16.

Shots will be given from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 17 at Southside Elementary.

They’ll be given at Northside, from 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 18, and at Allen Elementary, from noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 18.

Middle school students will receive flu vaccines from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 19.

Vaccines will be given in both nasal mist and shot forms, Cox said. Students with respiratory conditions such as asthma would not receive the nasal mist but the shot.

Benton County Health Unit will host a free flu shot clinic at Eastgate Church of Christ at 1997 U.S. Highway 412 East from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

“Flu vaccines will be given to the public at no out of pocket cost,” Bailey said.

About 1,000 flu shots will be available to be given to the public that day.

This is about 200 more shots than were given out last year.

More shots could become available depending on how many are not used at clinics in adjacent counties, Bailey said.

Benton County Health Unit will work with area county health departments to share or receive shots that are unused.

The H1N1 flu vaccine will only be given to specific groups of people at the flu shot clinic Friday.

They include those who are 5 to 18 years old with underlying medical conditions, pregnant women and children 6 months to 4 years old.

Children with underlying medical conditions include those with the following diseases, according to the Arkansas Department of Health:

• Chronic pulmonary

• Asthma

• Cardiovascular (excluding hypertension)

• Renal

• Hepatic

• Cognitive

• Neurologic/neuromuscular

• Hematological or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus)

Also, children with underlying conditions are those who are immunosuppressed (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency virus), are receiving long-term aspirin therapy or are residents of long-term care facilities.

The Siloam Springs clinic of Benton County Health Unit in downtown has given the H1N1 flu shot to only pregnant women, said Janet Brown, nurse and office coordinator for the clinic. The shot been given out for the past two weeks.

More people will be able to receive the swine flu vaccine when supplies increase, Bailey said.

The county has ordered the maximum amount possible, he said.

The downtown clinic of the county health unit will offer seasonal flu shots for $20 after the free flu shot clinic Friday.

The H1N1 vaccine will be free, Bailey said.

The county health unit will also host free flu shot clinics in Rogers and Bella Vista on Friday.

News, Pages 1 on 10/28/2009

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