Signs of H1N1 hit Craven County schools

Health officials believe they are seeing the first new signs of the H1N1 virus, or “swine flu,” in Craven County schools only a week into the students’ new year.

As of Monday, at least six schools in Craven County reported having students with “flu-like symptoms,” including fevers, sore throats, coughing and vomiting. Five of those schools have New Bern addresses, school nurse coordinator Joanne Martin said, and the other one is West Craven Middle School in Vanceboro.

While none of the potential cases has been confirmed as H1N1 — students are tested for the virus only if they end up in the hospital — Craven County Health Director Scott Harrelson said it is “absolutely a pretty safe assumption” that it is that kind of illness.

“The students have had a chance to congregate now that they’ve been in school for a few days, and we are seeing the flu-like symptoms. We think it is probably not the seasonal flu.”

Martin did not release exact figures as to how many students were affected countywide, but did say that the numbers were not staggering. She said that the numbers ranged “between one and six” confirmed sick students from each of the six affected schools. That figure includes students who were sent home “with fevers of 100 (degrees) or more,” Martin said.

That figure does not include students who were absent for unknown reasons, she said.

Both health and school officials stressed that the children’s symptoms are mild and that no one has been hospitalized. There are no plans to close any of the schools or to take any “extraordinary disinfection” measures, said Superintendent Larry Moser.

“Our classrooms are cleaned every night,” Moser said. “Now, certainly, if we find out that a really sick child was in a particular classroom or on a particular bus, we will give that classroom or bus extra cleaning attention. But what we have seen is very mild, and we are thankful for that.”

Summerly Cotton, a communicable-disease nurse, said the Craven County Health Department, continues to stress simple ways of staying well, especially washing hands for 30 seconds several times a day.

“Coughing into your elbow and washing your hands are huge helps,” Cotton said. “Of course, we have a hard time getting the little ones to wash their hands long enough, so we tell them to sing the ABC song twice.”

Any Craven County student with permission from a parent can get the “nose mist” that helps to fend off seasonal flu. The mist will not, however, prevent the H1N1 virus, which has similar symptoms.

The vaccine for H1N1 is still not ready and has not been shipped to local health officials. Harrelson said he expects the vaccine will be shipped some time in October and will be available in Craven County by November.