Worthington School sees absence spike
By MICHAEL ERB merb@newsandsentinel.comArticle Photos
PARKERSBURG - Health officials are testing some students at Worthington Elementary School for H1N1 after seeing a spike in absences and flu-like symptoms.
Teresa Bayer, health coordinator for Wood County Schools, said Tuesday about 60 students were absent from Worthington School, which serves about 217 students in kindergarten through fifth-grade.
"We have seen an increased number of incidents of flu-like symptoms at Worthington School," Bayer said. "We are in communication with the health department and are monitoring the school."
Bayer said the school system has not yet received word on any confirmed H1N1 cases at Worthington.
"We just don't know at this point," she said. "There is a time lapse between when the testing is completed and when we get the results back."
In the meantime, Bayer said the district has increased custodial staff and the number of school nurses at Worthington. Parents are asked to keep ill students at home and encourage students to continue health hygiene techniques, such as covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing.
"We're not terribly surprised. This is what the CDC told us to expect," Bayer said. "We are depending on those parents to do their part to help by keeping sick children at home."
The news follows an announcement by state health officials that pockets of the illness have surfaced throughout several West Virginia border counties.
Cabell, Jackson, Mercer, Monongalia and Wood counties experienced spikes in the number of cases, said West Virginia Bureau for Public Health spokeswoman Marsha Dadisman. Schools were among the hardest hit, including nearly 400 cases at West Virginia University in Morgantown.
Cabell County Schools spokesman Jedd Flowers said about 40 percent of students at Cabell Midland High School were absent Tuesday, three days after a freshman died.
In Mercer County, health officials are investigating 213 cases of flu-like symptoms, including some in area schools.
Jackson County Schools reported 70 confirmed cases of H1N1 Tuesday among students in Ripley-area schools.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Tabitha
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10-08-09 1:12 PM
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Citizen26150...You are absolutely correct, it should not matter what type of insurance your children have, they should be treated like any other patient with private insurance. Seems like discrimination to me! Even though my kids have a private insurance, they still have not have the vaccine, nor can they get it. My children's doctor does not have any vaccines at all, the health dept, Quick Care, EZ Care, and Med Express is out of them, and all pharmacies will only give them out to adults! So all of us are facing the same problem, but hopefully it is going to be resolved soon!
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citizen26150
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10-08-09 12:54 PM
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As a single mother of two children who works full time, doesn't drink or smoke, and can not afford to carry the insurance offered at my employment for my children, my children have a medical card. I can barely afford gas to get to work sometimes and scrape by to pay my bills. My children's pediatrician, whom they have been with since birth DOES have the flu vaccination, however, DOES NOT offer the vaccination to children with medicaid! I was told by the pediatrician's office to call the health dept. I did! They were OUT! I called a number of pharmacies in town, they do not offer the vaccinations to children! I am outraged that their doctor has the vacc, but will/can not offer to my children (6 & 3) because I can't afford private insurance for them! I know that some ped.s will do this! How can they tell you you NEED to get your child vaccinated, but, there is no where you can get it done because you have a medical card?!?!?!?
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Tabitha
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10-08-09 6:53 AM
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I agree that everybody needs to remain calm and do not panic, however, I have never in my 31 years seen a flu spread like this. I think we all understand that the symptoms are no worse than the seasonal flu and that the number of deaths have not risen above that of the seasonal flu but I think it is time to take a little extra precaution to prevent further spread of this. This is an epidemic, and it is only going to get worse. Also to MrAlex, Not ALL parents drink and smoke. I for one am a mother of 3, and I may drink a total of one beer a year. I CAN afford to medically treat my children, but it will put a damper on my financial situation. I am a full time student, my husband is the only income source in the household, he pays over $700 a month to BCBS to pay for thse children to have medical insurance. So not all of us parents waste our money on alcohol and cigarettes rather than our children's health care expenses.
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jasper
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10-07-09 8:46 PM
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One thing you all need to remember and think about. Seasonal Flu is FAR WORSE then H1N1. There are WAY more hospitalizations and deaths from the Seasonal flu a year, then what they are seeing with H1N1. If I read correctly, the state of WV has not had 1 hospitalization due to h1n1, just cases of it. Yes we should be concerned but DONT PANIC!. Good grief. Practice good hygene. Cover your cough, wash your hands, dont shake hands if you do have sanitizer in your purse or pocket, stay home if you are sick. People are making a mountain out of a mole hill. The CDC themselves have said that people are blowing this out of proportion this stan of the flu is no worse then regular seasonal flu. The only people that have died from it are the very young who did not get treatment in time and people with other medical conditions that caused them to be unable to fight it off. Take precautions but good grief, DONT PANIC. That just makes things worse
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kksmithay
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10-07-09 8:33 PM
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I am sooo afraid of this, Im a 21 year old female with a 1 year old daughter at home. I really would hate for her to get this, im scared. What makes matters worse is I work at our local college, Im around a bunch of people. I pray that this gets better. I don't want to see any more deaths and I don't want my daughter or myself to become sick..
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MrAlex
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10-07-09 7:46 PM
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pcsmith, if these "poor" people in WV can't afford to adequately treat their children, how is it that they can all afford to drink and smoke so much? And if they can't afford to treat their children, then they have no business having all those kids.
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pcsmith
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10-07-09 2:08 PM
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...and across our beloved State of West Virginia, and throughout Appalachia, how many kids have parents who can afford to adequately treat their children? I PRAY to GOD ALMIGHTY this is not going to be a repeat of the flu that sytematically snufffed out hundreds of thousands of American children in 1917. There is a family cemetery across the road with small headstones with the names of children who never survived that pandemic. We cannot afford to permit the future of this country - its children - to not be able to continue productive lives.
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halfhill
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10-07-09 9:51 AM
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Strange that the area has many cases. Where I currently live in NE N.C. and Norfolk area of VA, few cases have been reported and this area has big population. And people and media in controversy whether to get shots when available.
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