Schools Brace for Return of Students, Flu

(CBS)  School starts next week in parts of the country. And added to those brand new books and first-day clothes will be concerns about the spread of the H1N1 flu virus.

More than a million Americans have already been infected. So, tomorrow federal health officials will lay out guidelines for schools on how to prevent and manage an outbreak, as CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reports.

As kids get ready to return to school, schools are getting ready for the return of the new H1N1 virus. In Los Angeles, that means gearing up to protect the district's 688,000 students.

"We believe that the most important strategy we can have right now is preparedness to prevent spread of disease, such as good hand washing, cough etiquette - meaning cover your cough - staying home if you're sick and just really staying healthy," said Connie Moore, director of nursing for the L.A. Unified School District.

Tomorrow's guidelines are expected to emphasize keeping healthy kids in school. Decisions about whether to close will be left to the individual districts. Over 700 U.S. schools closed during the initial outbreak, but experts question the benefit of the closures now that the virus has already infected at least a million Americans.

"Closing schools in order to prevent spread might have an effect very early on in an epidemic, slowing down the spread," said Dr. William Schaffner of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "But once things get going, closing schools really don't have much of an effect."

Whether the schools close down or not, they need a plan to deal with H1N1, because the virus is hitting children and young adults the hardest.

Atlanta's public schools open their doors on Monday, and are working with the makers of a hand sanitizer to teach flu prevention.

"We've sent out H1N1 bulletins to each of our principals at each school, and those flyers will be disseminated to students on the first day," said Kimberly Willis Green, and Atlanta public schools spokeswoman.

Students who come down with the H1N1 virus will most likely be told to stay home from school for at least seven days. This virus is contagious in children slightly longer than it is in adults.

[abarbarbar]

In your story of Los Angeles schools bracing for the return of students and the anticipated outbreak of the Swine Flu, you showed custodians cleaning desks, chairs and surfaces with what the reporter said was "sanitizer". The report also said that students would be using hand sanitizer. But your report did NOT say whether this sanitizer was ANTI-BACTERIAL (i.e. containing an anti-biotic like agents) or simple disinfectant, like Lysol.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, because, contrary to what some people might expect, the anti-biotic/biological sanitizers actually PROMOTE the growth of super bacteria and mutated viruses. Any bacteria or viruses that these sanitizers do not kill, breed into stronger, more resistant versions through the process of natural selection.

This is why we have super penicillin-resilient bacteria in hospitals and gyms - it is the OVERUSE of anti-biotics and biological sanitizers. Your reports should state categorically which type of cleansers schools are using, because if they are continuing to use biological cleansers they are actually hastening the spread of the flu and many other diseases. They should be using non-biological disinfectants.

Thank you for your attention,
Barbara Ferrara, substitute teacher, Los Angeles