Va schools to report absences to help track flu

For the first time in as long as state officials can recall, every school district in Virginia is being asked to report daily absenteeism among students and faculty to the state health department in an attempt to track flu patterns better.

The policy is part of the broad public health effort to try to manage flu cases as the state’s 1.2 million public school students pack hallways, gyms, cafeterias and classrooms.

“Where young kids congregate, the H1N1 [swine flu] risk is there,“ said Phil Giaramita, director of communications for the commissioner of the Virginia Department of Health.

By seeing daily numbers of students and staff members who are absent, health officials say they can look for unusual patterns that could serve as early signs of possible H1N1 clusters, Giaramita said.

And even a relatively low number of absences could be telling.

“Under normal circumstances, that might not catch someone’s attention or concern, but in the current situation with H1N1, we know how easily it spreads, and the school-aged population is among those groups that are among the most risk,“ he said.

Schools will submit the date, student enrollment, student absences, faculty/staff employment, and faculty/staff absences. Names and other personal information will not be included.

Some school districts last year began sharing this data with the state, which fielded reports of flu cases in camps throughout the summer.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright and Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Remley wrote a letter to educators Aug. 7 giving tips on what schools can do to prepare, including updating their emergency plans.

They stressed personal responsibility — washing your hands, staying home if you are sick — to help lessen any impact of the disease.

As for potential school closures, Wright and Remley wrote that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as state health officials do not consider closings an effective way to control the flu in a school, given the rapid pace of infection spread from person to person.

“School closure is unlikely to be recommended by the CDC unless absenteeism levels interfere with the school’s ability to function (i.e., not enough teachers) or the school is comprised of a large majority of individuals at high risk of flu complications,“ they wrote.

Olympia Meola is a staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.