The first day of school for the new year is Aug. 24 for Lehigh students and others in Lee County, and the safety of children – in view of recent H1N1 (swine) flu cases – is foremost in the minds of school and health officials. Should a next wave of the virus surfaces, they are ready.

The director of the Lee County Health Department, Judith A. Hartner, M.D., M.P.H., M.P.A., recently made an appeal to parents.

“Protecting the health of children in school requires a three-way partnership,” she said. “For the efforts of the school district and the health department to be successful, we ask parents to join us in promoting good health habits. Most importantly we ask parents to keep their children home from school if they become ill.”

School District Spokesperson Joe Donzelli said that when the bird flu was feared a few years ago, a “Pandemic Flu Plan” was developed. While never used then, the plan was put into practice this past May when a student at Spring Creek Elementary School in Bonita Springs became one of the first confirmed cases in Lee County.

Superintendent of School James Browder, reporting on the results of the plan said: “All of our planning and preparation paid off in a big way.” He credited both his staff and the staff of the Health Department for a job well done.

According to Donzelli, the plan includes taking the following steps:

n Increased vigilance by school staff to identify students exhibiting flu-like symptoms;

n Custodians and building supervisors are to increase focus and frequency of cleaning of commonly touched areas, such as doorknobs, light switches, handrails and others.

n Symptomatic students will be sent to the school’s clinic for evaluation by a clinic assistant and/or a school nurse.

The District also has the following steps in place to address swine flu concerns during the 2009-2010 school year, and these guidelines will be provided to all families after the start of school. They are:

n Clinic assistant and/or school nurse will determine if a child should be isolated due to symptoms. Each school will identify an area isolated from general student body

n Parents or guardians of isolated students will be contacted and requested to pick up their sick children as soon as possible

n Students with influenza-like illness must remain at home for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone (without the use of fever-reducing medicine such as Tylenol)

n A fever is a temperature which is elevated above 100 degrees

n If symptoms do not subside, parents should seek medical care from their doctor or health care provider

n Students will be allowed to use hand sanitizers at school under the supervision of adults

Donzelli said Lee County Health Department and School District officials will continue to work closely together monitoring and evaluating the situation and determine if any additional steps or action are warranted.

Parents are asked to keep their children at home at least for 24 hours after the fever and other symptoms subside.

Health Department officials also stress what everyone can do to help minimize the effects an anticipated wave of H1N1 cases will have on the Lee County communities. They advise:

n If symptoms continue, see a health care provider;

n Sneeze into a tissue or the bend in your elbow to avoid contaminating the hands;

n Wash hands often and vigorously with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an approved hand sanitizer.