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Taking the offensive against flu bug
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| Nurse Therese Hunter takes the temperature of South Rabun Elementary School first-grader David McCall on Friday. No confirmed cases of flu have hit the school system so far, but staff members are doing what they can to promote preventive maintenance. |
By Blake Spurney Editor
Rabun County schoolchildren have been unusually healthy so far this year, but reported absences have picked up in at least one school.
Most recent illnesses have been from congestion, colds, strep throat and allergy related. South Rabun Elementary School Principal Penni Jones said the school had averaged about six or seven absences due to illness each day this past week.
"This is the first week that we're starting to see some of that, so it hasn't started getting rough yet," she said.
Kristi Stone picked up her son, Kameron Southard, on Friday morning from SRES. "He's got a cold and stuff," she said. "He's had it about a week."
Fortunately, no reports of students suffering from flu-like symptoms have been reported. That doesn't mean, however, that staff members are quietly waiting for the normal outbreaks.
Dave Palmer, spokesman for District 2 Public Health, said flu season ran from October-May, with its peak in January and February. "Usually this time of year we start seeing some cases," he added.
SRES first-graders were treated to a germ puppet show Friday featuring Soapy and Germy. Hunter stressed the benefits of regular washing of the hands.
"We wash our hands frequently at this level, and we make sure our kids wash their hands," Jones said. "We take all the precautions."
Rabun County High School Principal Mark Earnest said the oldest students in the system were exposed to hygiene tips on bulletin boards. Students are reminded to sneeze into their sleeves instead of their hands, and the office supplies sanitary wipes for door handles and phones.
He also credited the Board of Education with supplying Germ-X bottles for teachers' desks and the bathrooms.
Rabun County Middle School Principal Kent Woerner said a custodian regularly wiped down keyboards in the computer lab with antibacterial solution. Woerner also makes sure to wipe down the table in his office where students have been taking mock writing tests.
"We try to keep all of our surfaces clean, because to me that's where you pass it along," he said.
His school's health epidemic can get expensive, however. Woerner had made a deal with the students that when an entire class has perfect attendance, he will buy each student a candy bar or ice cream cone. The seventh-graders forced him to pay up this past week.
"But it's worth it to me to celebrate with the kids," he said.
Rabun County Elementary School Principal Penny Young said she had not seen a rise in absences or a longer line at the nurse's office. She also emphasized proper sneezing technique and washing one's hands before eating.
Hunter, who splits her time at SRES and Rabun Gap Community School, said she'd seen a lot of students with sore throats and coughing. Several were diagnosed with strep throat, which means they have to stay away from school for at least 24 hours after they get an antibiotic.
Allergies have been a bigger nuisance than usual because of the dry weather. The allergies have triggered a lot of asthma attacks, and a few students have ended up with bronchitis, she said.
Most recent illnesses have been from congestion, colds, strep throat and allergy related. South Rabun Elementary School Principal Penni Jones said the school had averaged about six or seven absences due to illness each day this past week.
"This is the first week that we're starting to see some of that, so it hasn't started getting rough yet," she said.
Kristi Stone picked up her son, Kameron Southard, on Friday morning from SRES. "He's got a cold and stuff," she said. "He's had it about a week."
Fortunately, no reports of students suffering from flu-like symptoms have been reported. That doesn't mean, however, that staff members are quietly waiting for the normal outbreaks.
Dave Palmer, spokesman for District 2 Public Health, said flu season ran from October-May, with its peak in January and February. "Usually this time of year we start seeing some cases," he added.
SRES first-graders were treated to a germ puppet show Friday featuring Soapy and Germy. Hunter stressed the benefits of regular washing of the hands.
"We wash our hands frequently at this level, and we make sure our kids wash their hands," Jones said. "We take all the precautions."
Rabun County High School Principal Mark Earnest said the oldest students in the system were exposed to hygiene tips on bulletin boards. Students are reminded to sneeze into their sleeves instead of their hands, and the office supplies sanitary wipes for door handles and phones.
He also credited the Board of Education with supplying Germ-X bottles for teachers' desks and the bathrooms.
Rabun County Middle School Principal Kent Woerner said a custodian regularly wiped down keyboards in the computer lab with antibacterial solution. Woerner also makes sure to wipe down the table in his office where students have been taking mock writing tests.
"We try to keep all of our surfaces clean, because to me that's where you pass it along," he said.
His school's health epidemic can get expensive, however. Woerner had made a deal with the students that when an entire class has perfect attendance, he will buy each student a candy bar or ice cream cone. The seventh-graders forced him to pay up this past week.
"But it's worth it to me to celebrate with the kids," he said.
Rabun County Elementary School Principal Penny Young said she had not seen a rise in absences or a longer line at the nurse's office. She also emphasized proper sneezing technique and washing one's hands before eating.
Hunter, who splits her time at SRES and Rabun Gap Community School, said she'd seen a lot of students with sore throats and coughing. Several were diagnosed with strep throat, which means they have to stay away from school for at least 24 hours after they get an antibiotic.
Allergies have been a bigger nuisance than usual because of the dry weather. The allergies have triggered a lot of asthma attacks, and a few students have ended up with bronchitis, she said.
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