The Wm. S. Hart Union High School District has received notice that a staff member at Sierra Vista Junior High School has a confirmed case of N1H1 influenza, the second confirmed case for that campus. A message has been sent to all parents and staff at the school notifying them that a second case in a two-week period is no cause for alarm.
“The so-called swine flu has been relatively mild in the United States and usually results in no more serious symptoms than ordinary flu,” Superintendent Jaime Castellanos reminded staff and parents at the school. “Current state and federal guidelines do not call for closing a school because of individual or widespread cases of identified N1H1 influenza.”
Both the County Public Health Department and the Hart District will continue to monitor the situation and take any steps necessary to protect the health of all students.
In the meantime, Castellanos reminded families of standard precautions to prevent the spread of influenza and other communicable diseases: Keep sick children at home, wash hands frequently with soap and water or alcohol-based hand-wash solutions, cover coughs and sneezes and dispose of used tissues appropriately.