Schools & Influenza-Like Illness Surveillance

>>Questions and Answers

 Jefferson County Public Health and Jefferson County School District implemented a real-time school influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance project in late Spring of this year in preparation for the 2009 influenza/flu season. Tracking daily absenteeism and conducting influenza-like illness monitoring provides public health officials with real time, daily data on the amount of illness in our school populations and allows targeted control measures to be put in place if needed. It is important to realize that the school absenteeism reporting is NOT diagnosed influenza, rather it tracks children whose parents have reported fever and respiratory symptoms which could be the result of influenza.   We extend our gratitude to Jefferson County schools, parents and students for their help in this important public health effort. 
 
Jefferson County Public Schools are reporting daily, the following data charts will be updated regularly:

>> Rate of Total Absences/School Enrollment Per 100 Students By Individual School Enrollment, Jefferson County Public Schools

>> Current Jeffco Schools Countywide Influenza-Like Surveillance

Everyone is reminded that current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend school closure. The best way to reduce the spread of flu in schools is early identification of ill students and staff who should stay home when sick and adherence to cough and hand-hygiene etiquette.

Decisions related to measures taken in response to human infections with the H1N1 influenza virus remain at the discretion of school and health officials, taking into account the specific needs of the community, including public concern and the impact of school absenteeism and staffing shortages.

Questions and Answers

When increases are seen, will this automatically result in school closure?
In the spring when the new H1N1 virus began to circulate and little was known about its possible severity, the federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommended school closure with even small numbers of H1N1 illness, but has since found that in most instances such closures were not effective in reducing spread. Currently CDC recommends against school closure in most instances, but rather emphasizes the need for parents to monitor their children and keep them home when they develop fever and symptoms of flu, strict monitoring of children for flu-like symptoms, and immediate discharge back home for those who come to school ill.

It is important to realize that like most flu viruses, this new H1N1 is spreading throughout the community and across the nation.  Most individuals with mild illness will not be specifically tested for flu nor this specific type of virus, since they will recover with routine home care.  As we see more community spread, it is important that we be aware that we may come into contact with an infected individual in many places—and not only in the school setting.  Ill individuals should strictly stay at home throughout their symptomatic period, but especially when they have fever and for 24 hours thereafter.

How is this data being used to monitor influenza activity in the schools?
Each day, epidemiologists at Jefferson County Public Health, in collaboration with District R-1 JeffCo Schools Health Services staff, analyze and review the data, looking at trends among neighboring schools and across the county.  We expect as this flu season progresses to see some schools with higher rates of absenteeism due to influenza like illness symptoms. When we do, we look at rates of children being sent home from school with symptoms, which when also increased, may signal a need for more targeted information and messaging to parents and school staff.

This highly sensitive system helps us to monitor compliance with voluntary school exclusion among parents who have children with flu-like symptoms, which has been shown to be the most critical step to reduce spread of influenza in the schools until a vaccine can be offered.  Current national CDC recommendations call for decisions on closure to be made at the local level between public health and the school district and in most cases to be avoided.  There is no automatic threshold of absenteeism that would trigger a decision on closure as other factors are taken into account as well.

Considerations for closure include when school staffing levels can not be maintained to adequately continue school functions or when school student attendance becomes so low as to be impractical to remain open. CDC agrees that children can continue in schools during this flu season, as long as there is an emphasis on strict monitoring of children for illness, rapid exclusion and return to home of those who do come to school with symptoms, implementation of hand washing and personal hygiene measures to reduce opportunity for spread among students and routine cleaning/disinfection practices. District R-1 has been working closely with Jefferson County Public Health to ensure these practices are in place.

Parents seeking information specific to their child's school are asked to call Jefferson County Support Services at 303-982-6767 or the District's Communication Office at 303-982-6808. Information is also available on the Jefferson County Schools web site.

 

Last Modified: Jan 29, 2010 10:16 AM