As previously mentioned, the dilemma of whether or not to close a school would be greatly alleviated if a fast (overnight turnaround) accurate test was available. The majority of disease clusters will turn out not to be due to the swine flu virus. Conversely, true swine flu cases could be identified before the infection spreads within the school (hopefully, even before the child has attended school).
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
School closures
It turns out that I have not been alone in wondering about what to do if school children or staff appear to have the flu. The death of Mitchell Wiener, assistant principal at Intermediate School 238 here in New York City (NYC), sparked a wave of concern and much debate on when to close schools. NYC Health Commissioner (and soon-to-be head of the CDC), Dr. Frieden and school Chancellor Klein posted criteria that the city will use to close affected schools, following CDC's own guidelines. But these measures have not reduced the concerns as fear spreads faster than the virus.
As previously mentioned, the dilemma of whether or not to close a school would be greatly alleviated if a fast (overnight turnaround) accurate test was available. The majority of disease clusters will turn out not to be due to the swine flu virus. Conversely, true swine flu cases could be identified before the infection spreads within the school (hopefully, even before the child has attended school).
As previously mentioned, the dilemma of whether or not to close a school would be greatly alleviated if a fast (overnight turnaround) accurate test was available. The majority of disease clusters will turn out not to be due to the swine flu virus. Conversely, true swine flu cases could be identified before the infection spreads within the school (hopefully, even before the child has attended school).
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