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Tolland Schools Stay Open Amid H1N1 Fears

Students Fully Recovered, Supt. Says

POSTED: 1:24 pm EDT June 5, 2009
UPDATED: 1:26 am EDT June 6, 2009

Though two students in the Tolland School District were recently diagnosed with the H1N1 flu, district officials said, there is no plan to close the schools.

The Eastern Highland Health District said it was notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 3 that students in the district had confirmed cases of H1N1.

Hamden School Disinfected As Precaution

But they said that by the time the diagnoses came in, the students in question had already recovered.

Superintendent of School Bill Guzman said a letter was sent to all parents and guardians last month informing them of the latest H1N1 guidelines. He said the district is instituting the CDC guidelines that students and adults who are ill should not come to school.

Guzman said students and staff members should stay home if they develop a fever, cough or sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and body aches or experience vomiting or diarrhea.

To avoid infecting others, Guzman said, those feeling ill should stay away from others for at least seven days or until 24 hours after the illness symptoms dissipate. They should also wash their hands often, he said.

But Guzman said it's expected that the schools will continue to experience illness rates for H1N1 similar to seasonal flu rates.

"I haven't noticed any significant number of even flu-like symptoms," the superintendent said.

For information on the H1N1 virus and the school guidelines, visit the CDC Web site or call the Eastern Highlands Health District at 860-429-3325.

Hamden School Disinfected To Stop Flu Spread, Supt. Says

But in Hamden on Friday, schools remained closed due to the H1N1 scare.

School officials said they believe whatever was going around started in a second-grade classroom, but that the entire school was being thoroughly scrubbed down.

"We are cleaning the schools, taking every precaution," Superintendent of Schools Fran Rabinowitz said.

Three students from Helen Street Elementary School have tested positive for H1N1 and about 50 students have reported feeling sick.

But the superintendent said it's not what they have that has her worried. She said she's worried about how fast it's spreading.

"It's not about confirmed cases, we have three at Helen Street," Rabinowitz said. "That's not why we closed. We closed because we had a high percentage of students who had flu-like symptoms and we wanted to stop the spread."

The Department of Health recommended that the custodial staff use a cleaning spray to disinfect the school.

But the closing is leaving students with a shorter summer vacation.


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