Everyone has role to play in limiting flu's spread

This editorial appears in the Aug. 24, 2009, Yakima Herald-Republic.

Calculators, pens, paper and books shouldn't be the only items being slipped into backpacks this week as students throughout Central Washington return to school classrooms.

Consider hand sanitizers.

The reason is swine flu, or influenza H1N1. The virus caused quite a stir earlier in the year when it first entered the U.S. Several school districts shut down completely as students arrived with flu-like symptoms -- high fever, vomiting and diarrhea.

However, health officials hope these closures won't be required this fall. In fact, several studies have shown closing schools may not help at all since many students will simply head to another area to congregate -- like a shopping mall.

Of course, all bets are off if the H1N1 proves virulent in the coming weeks. It has already claimed more than 522 lives and has hospitalized nearly 8,000 people in the United States.

The best remedy to keep the virus in check is simple hygiene -- washing hands. That means washing before meals and snacks, even when cookies are passed out. This routine of washing hands needs to be emphasized throughout the school day and at home as well. For rooms with no soap or water, hand sanitizers are necessary -- making them a required addition to a student's school supplies.

A box of tissues is also on the "recommended" list. Coughing into a tissue helps to suppress the spread of the virus if the student does indeed have the flu.

Parents will have to be especially mindful of students with a fever. This is a key indicator of possible H1N1 infection.

Keeping a sick child at home is a critical factor in fighting swine flu. Any child who has been sick should be fever-free -- without the aid of medications like Tamiflu -- for at least 24 hours before heading back to school. That timeline is included in back-to-school instructions released earlier this month by the nation's Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC has also asked schools to set aside separate rooms for those students who become ill during the school day. Surgical masks should be available not only for students waiting to go home but also for those seeing to their needs.

The last thing a parent should do when a child exhibits flu-like symptoms is to visit a hospital emergency room. Call the family physician or clinic and seek advice.

When the H1N1 vaccine becomes available, hopefully within another month, school-age children should be vaccinated since they are in one of the vulnerable age groups. Their parents should also be vaccinated.

With more than 55 million students and 7 million staff members returning to the nation's 130,000 schools each weekday, the enormity of controlling a possible pandemic like the swine flu can become very complicated in a very short period of time.

We can all play a part in preventing its spread. Keeping sick kids home, getting them vaccinated and making sure they wash their hands frequently will help ensure they succeed in what the school system is designed for -- getting an education.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Bob Crider, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.