CDC advises against closing schools

• By SANDY DAVIS
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: May 6, 2009 - Page: 5A

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “updated” its policy Tuesday and now says schools should stay open even when a student has a confirmed case of swine flu.

“School closure is not advised for a suspected or confirmed case of novel influenza A (H1N1) and, in general, is not advised unless there is a magnitude of faculty or student absenteeism that interferes with the school’s ability to function,” according to a Department of Health and Hospital news release late Tuesday afternoon.

Several schools in Lafayette Parish closed last week after the state said there might be a cluster outbreak in four parochial schools in the parish.

Over the weekend, the CDC said schools with students infected with the disease might be closed as long as two weeks.

Now the CDC is saying that any school that closed because the CDC recommended closure, “may reopen,” according to the DHH news release.

It was unclear late Tuesday when the affected schools would reopen.

Alan Levine, the secretary of the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals said the state has notified local school officials of the CDC’s new school policy.

“We continue to base our recommendations along the best and newest guidance from the CDC and the best information available to our state epidemiologists on the ground,” Levine said.

Also Tuesday, there were no new confirmed cases of H1N1, or swine flu, in Louisiana, but suspected cases were continuing to increase.

Six more samples were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Tuesday for confirmation of H1N1.

Of the six new suspected cases sent to the CDC on Tuesday, three are from Lafourche Parish. Lafayette, St. Martin and Iberia parishes each have one new suspected case.

“The CDC is telling states to expect a high rate of confirmations, as they are confirming the H1N1 virus in 99 percent of cases sent to them for testing,” according to a news release from the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals.

The state is now waiting for test results from 27 samples being tested at the CDC, according to the news release.