Schools Closed Due to Swine Flu

With the swine flu confirmed in 36 states and nearly 2 out of 3 cases being children, schools continue to close in the U.S. as outbreaks occur. As of last week, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) was recommending school closures if any swine flu cases appear. Hundreds of schools across the U.S. closed as swine flu outbreaks were confirmed. As of Tuesday, 726 schools were closed due to flu across 24 states and the District of Columbia. These schools represent 468,000 students who had to find other means to keep them occupied.

Now that the swine flu seems to be leveling off in Mexico and not spreading in the U.S. as rapidly--nor as deadly--as first feared, the CDC has changed its position on school closures. It is no longer recommending that schools close for two weeks if students come down with swine flu. The first U.S. school that closed, St. Francis Preparatory School in New York with 45 confirmed cases of the swine flu, just reopened on Monday after being shut down for a week.

Instead of recommending school closures, the CDC is now suggesting that anyone who exhibits flu-like symptoms stay at home for seven days to keep the virus from spreading, although the ultimate decision about closing a school remains with each individual school. As students pour back into classrooms, schools are stocking up on anti-bacterial lotion and encouraging good hygiene: washing hands frequently and coughing into a sleeve instead of one’s hands or the air.