School's H1N1 Strategy - No Touching

New York School District Suggests Limiting Physical Contact As Way To Minimize Flu Risk

(CBS)  A New York school district has some ideas for limiting the spread of the H1N1 flu virus during the upcoming school year. One of their suggestions - keep your hands to yourself.

School officials from Nassau County on Long Island are urging kids to limit typical forms of contact with their friends, reports WCBS correspondent Jennifer McLogan. That means cutting back on chest bumps, high fives and hugs.

The H1N1 virus is expected to reemerge this fall and the government health experts are rushing to prepare for a worst-case scenario that could see up 30 to 50 percent of Americans infected and 90,000 deaths, though Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said those predictions were unlikely to occur.

Still, the figures are frightening, so it's important to put them in context, said CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton.

CBSNews.com Special Report: H1N1

The H1N1 virus has largely been benign to this point, so the real risk is in the formation of a new strain resistant to current treatments.

A vaccine for the current strain expected to be available in October, but doses will likely be limited at first.

Around the world, officials are bracing for the flu's return as schools reopen. But in Nassau, some students think the effort to limit contact among classmates is an impractical measure.

"I don't really think it's such a big deal, if you wash your hands after -- I think it's just you really can't avoid it," Glen Cove high school student Erica Cohen told WCBS-TV.

Some parents also think it's an unrealistic policy but many applaud any measure to keep their kids safe from the virus.

"Less contact would mean less germs and less illnesses and I think it's a good recommendation," said parent Donna Sita.

WCBS' Dr. Holly Phillips said officials are doing the right thing in raising H1N1 awareness, but a no-contact policy is hardly a guarantee on safeguarding students' health.

"Hysteria should be avoided, but it's good that the school district is emphasizing keeping kids safe. Not touching won't prevent transmission. The virus can live on surfaces and be transmitted via coughs and sneezes," Phillips said.

And another challenge for the policy - kids being kids, especially after coming back from a long summer vacation.

"It will [be hard] because you really like your friends and you didn't get to see them," said Middle School student Hannah Seltzer.

[barbaram99]

I can understand that the sighted are told to keep their hands to themselves. I am telling sighted persons to put items in my hand for a reason. Commonsense is there. Thereis a time and place for every thing. Years ago we greeted by voice. I am thabkful for teacher showing me how to print by placeing her hand over mine when I was 10 to show me by touch how to print. As a blind person I know seeing persons have rules for the reason. So do us blind persons. We all want to not get sick. Fear is not the answer. Seeing persons have visiob. Blind persons use touch to see things. There has to be limits with in reason. I greet others and ofter my hand with in reason. In public they over do what one poster called the touchy-feely generation, I adree there. In my day we did not over do it.In the home we did not. I try my best to write my best. Message is we want to be safe and mot be sick yet do our best live a normol life. I have to use sighted guide.

[rf35]

When I went to school, it was common practice to tell kids to keep their hands to themselves. It didn't prevent all contact, but I think there was less than there is these days. Today's school age kids are from a more touchy-feely generation. As another poster said, the kids emulate the adults. Lots of hugging and other close contact in our society. I think this initiative will fail. It's like telling a carnivore that it can only eat salad...not gonna happen.

[barbaram99]

I bought a bowling apps for the computer.
We eash in the states we live in pay for the schools. I went to school years ago. T am apalled at the education systen in America.
Chidren do when they have always done.
Touch is so important to us blind people as well as the sighted more so.. Common dense.
I tell people to put the items in my hand.I am aware there is a nasty virus that no one wants. If I get sick I stay home, I have to go out.
Telling children to not touch id Rude. The bloodt fear. If I lived my life in fear I never beable to step out doors. A virus goes thru the air. It is good practise to wash our hands,Ye cough in yer hand wash it before ye touch somrone /something. That simple.

[Sloughfoot]

Children 5, 6, 7 years old will be facing disciplinery action for doing what youngsters have been doing for hundreds of thousands of years to establish bonds, for security, for mental health. We have manic wackos in our Education system who need to be terminated.

[barbaram99]

I bowl on the computer. In America the sick are told to report to work or they are out of a job..We were travaling years ago and we stopped in a fast food place, One of the help was sick. We left the place as we did not wish to get what she had.
The thing I hate is the spitting. Every where.
I have to go out. When I gome home I wash my paws.
Commonsense is not taught / practised when it I was safer at school in the foster home, I was abused in the home. should be.
I did go to school sick in the early 70s as it was safer.
Today I stay home,

[erasmus111]

How do you bowl on the computer?

Here, people are told to stay home if they are sick.


"The thing I hate is the spitting."

Years ago I used to see a lot of kids spitting, even the girls! DISGUSTING is what it is. I don't see it much anymore.

[erasmus111]

"School's H1N1 Strategy - No Touching"


Kids keeping their hands to themselves? Oh please, ain't going to happen. And even if they did, what are they going to do about the things they touch? Like the desks, door handles, for instance.

And then there are the teenagers. Kissing...sharing drinks...nope, they aren't going to let a little flu stand in their way.

The truth is that kids are very immature and selfish. That's a fact.

The only way to help stop the spreading is to close the schools. Kids are the biggest germ carriers.

[erasmus111]

Of course then there are the selfish parents. I had a friend that worked in a nursery at a bowling alley. You would think that they would keep their kids home when they were sick, but no, they didn't want to miss out on their bowling day. Parents brought their kids when they had diarrhea, vomiting, high fevers, ring worm.... hell, there wasn't anything that was going to stand in their way of being able to bowl!

[TheMasses2002]

School's H1N1 Strategy - No Touching
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This may actually decrease teenage pregnancy.
I wonder if it will work with spouses?

[erasmus111]

by hologram5 September 1, 2009 11:07 AM EDT
The H1N1 virus is expected to reemerge this fall
---------------------------------------------------------
Just like the economy is expected to miraculously be fixed. Riiiiggghhhtttt. What, are they psychic now? Or is this just speculation? Just like the speculators have raised the price of oil by buying and selling "speculated" stock.


It's called common sense. Normally, the flu doesn't carry on through the summer because it doesn't really have the "right conditions". It happens in the fall and winter. But because it has carried on through the summer, you can pretty well guarantee that it will still be here in the fall.

[us_1776]

H1N1 is obviously going to eventually infect everyone on the planet. It's just one of those pandemic flus that occur from time to time. The best that we can do is to try to vaccinate the at-risk populations.

[hologram5]

The H1N1 virus is expected to reemerge this fall
---------------------------------------------------------
Just like the economy is expected to miraculously be fixed. Riiiiggghhhtttt. What, are they psychic now? Or is this just speculation? Just like the speculators have raised the price of oil by buying and selling "speculated" stock.

[barbaram99]

Viruses the ones people get traval thru the air. No one wants to be ill. Yet telling children they can't give their classmates their greetings.is speading fear. Everone should wash hands. Everyone should cover mouth when cough. No one should spit anywhere. Commonsense.
We wash our hands when we come home. Wash our hands fore and after meals. Afther using the bathroom/restroom. We don't share computers as mine is set for my legal blindness.
There are wipes and other like items to help.
We don't need fear. Are the school as clean as they should be. Are the adults setting the proper exmples in frort of children. Children copy us adults. They do.