Durham County: www.durhamcountync.gov/departments/phth/2009_novel_H1N1_Flu.html
Durham Public Schools: www.dpsnc.net/parents/h1n1-questions-answers-for-parents/H1N1-flu-update
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu
By Matthew E. Milliken
mmilliken@heraldsun.com; 419-6684
DURHAM -- Durham public school administrators are about to send parents updated information on preventing and caring for H1N1 influenza cases.
By week's end, the ConnectEd service will telephone all district parents with English- and Spanish-language messages containing basic information and referrals to useful H1N1 Web sites.
By next week, district officials will distribute a joint letter from Carl Harris, the district superintendent, and Gayle Harris, Durham County's director of public health.
The district is also preparing informational videos for parents and students. And a step-by-step quick-reference guide for school administrators is in the works.
"Getting the right communication out to the parents and the schools ... obviously in the prevention area is very high on the list," said Ron Allen, director of risk management services for Durham schools.
The communication efforts have emerged from talks between the Durham district and the county Public Health Department.
"We've been in daily contact really ... for the past three or four weeks and before that pretty regularly through the spring and summer," said Sue Guptill, the Public Health Department's director of nursing.
The agencies began collaborating after the H1N1 virus appeared in the United States. The disease does not appear to be as severe as when it swept Mexico City earlier this year, but it seems to be easily communicated.
"We expect there to be a lot of flu," Guptill said, "and we expect it to be widespread throughout the schools."
Several Duke football players have been hit with the virus, and Duke closed a residential program for talented middle- and high-school students after some youngsters in it fell ill. None were reported to be in serious condition.
Local officials are emphasizing measures that prevent the spread of the virus, such as washing hands after coughing or sneezing. The agencies are also urging those who feel sick to stay home.
"What they're finding with H1N1 is that the majority of cases occurring in the country are younger than typically [where] we see the seasonal flu occurring among the elderly," said Dr. Arlene Se
