The H1N1 flu, commonly known as the swine flu, caused at least 19 children's deaths last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. That's the largest one-week increase since the pandemic started in April.
According to CDC statistics, at least 114 children have died from swine flu complications since the spring.
CDC Director Thomas Frieden said more Tamiflu for children has been released from a national medicine stockpile.
Burke County Health Department Director David Rust said the county currently has about 130 doses of the H1N1 vaccine. All are earmarked for health-care workers.
The department expects to receive more doses of the vaccine on a weekly basis, Rust said. The vaccine will go first to pregnant women and young children.
The health department has been out of the seasonal flu vaccine since Oct. 15, but expects to receive enough H1N1 vaccine for everyone, Rust said.
Anthony Cox, Burke County Public Schools associate superintendent, said in compliance with state reporting requirements, the schools have been reporting the number of absences due to flu-like symptoms.
"It could be seasonal flu or it could be a stomach virus," Cox said. "There is no real way for us to differentiate."
When schools reach an absence of 10 percent of the population it is reported to the state, Cox said.
Last week Hildebran Elementary School was at that threshold for a few days, Cox said. Several schools have gone into that range, but after a day or two, has returned to normal.
"A lot of times, a significant portion of (those absences) has turned out to be something other than influenza," Cox said.
Overall there have been more absences from sicknesses this year than the previous school year, Cox said. But each week varies; some weeks have had less absences than the corresponding week the previous year.
Before the school year began, the schools implemented policies designed to prevent the spread of H1N1. The guidelines encouraged teachers to wipe down frequently-touched surfaces, setting a good example for students by washing hands frequently and covering coughs.
Cox said although the guidelines are in place, there is not a guarantee that illnesses will not spread.
"There are going to be sicknesses this season," Cox said. "We're just trying to prevent as many of them as we can."
Kids aren't the only ones getting sick with the flu. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services implemented a plan for limiting the potential spread of H1N1 flu at their facilities across the state.
Luckey Welsh, director of the State-Operated Healthcare Facilities Division, said the goal is to "stop the disease at the door" and limit its ability to spread.
Acknowledging the susceptibility of health facilities to transmissible illnesses, Welsh said, "I am confident that we have taken the wise and appropriate measures to prepare as best we can to protect the health and well-being of our patients, residents and employees."
N.C. DHHS spokesperson Renee McCoy said all state facilities are actively screening all staff and visitors for flu-like symptoms. Visitors exhibiting flu symptoms will not be permitted to visit patients or residents, according to the plan, and employees presenting symptoms must leave work and avoid contact with other employees, patients and residents.
"We're most concerned about our residents and our patients in these facilities," McCoy said, "and we're going to operate at the highest level of precaution. Because it is a statewide public emergency, we are taking all necessary precautions as all hospitals, both public and private, are taking."
McCoy said if a facility believes there is the heightened possibility of the flu on campus, the facility could take actions such as banning all visitors.
Due to federal HIPAA laws, the department does not confirm particular incidents of flu at facilities, according to McCoy. She would say that from Oct. 18 to Oct. 24 there were 647 cases statewide of people with flu-like illnesses. McCoy said 99 percent of the flu in the state is thought to be H1N1.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement