There are now three confirmed cases of H1N1, or swine flu, in the Lake Orion school district. Superintendent Ken Gutman notified parents in an email last week.
Blanche Sims Elementary, Waldon Middle School and Lake Orion High School each have an infected student, according to the e-mail.
‘We will continue to follow appropriate cleaning procedures, continue to keep our students informed as to best practice in hygiene (hand washing to one’s elbow, etc.), and continue to keep you informed,? Gutman said in the e-mail.
He added that principals will inform parents of new H1N1 cases if they occur.
Interim Principal Tom Tobe says student attendance has been lower than usual.
‘The feedback we’re getting is that it’s influenza a rather than H1N1,? he said. ‘We’re monitoring things ? everyone is trying to be careful.?
Tobe says the school is trying to keep parents and teachers as informed as possible by separating myths and hearsay from factual medical information.
The interim principal doesn’t predict any school closures for Lake Orion as there is a very limited number of confirmed swine flu cases in and the district.
‘This year the majority of the influenza out there is H1N1,? said local Physician Nancy Crossley. Crossley, whose practice used to be located in Lake Orion, is a Beaumont doctor. She noted her information comes from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Crossley said symptoms can be variable and can include nasal congestion, fever, cough and sore throat, though no set of symptoms are guaranteed.
‘It feels like a very bad cold with muscle aches and those types of things,? she said.
Crossley noted that she hasn’t treated anyone with confirmed H1N1, though as she suspects some of her patients have the virus.
Some residents have expressed concern about the effectiveness of the new H1N1 vaccine as it is so newly developed.
Crossley says the vaccine is made in the same way as traditional flu vaccines, and recommends those risk get it. She notes it is ‘definitely? something she would give it to her own children.
The CDC recommends pregnant women, children and young adults six months to 24 years old, caregivers for children under six months healthcare, healthcare workers and adults 25 to 64 years of age with the underlying medical conditions get the vaccine.
Vaccines, however, are hard to come by. As of October 24, only two clinics were offered to the public in Oakland County ? one in Farmington Hills and one in Clarkston. According to Oakland County’s Web site, it’s uncertain when more vaccines will be available.
To prevent spreading the virus, the CDC recommends washing hands often with soap and water, or using alcohol-based sanitizer, avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth, avoiding close contact with sick people, and staying home from work and school if sick.