Swine Flu Seen in Waves

As many as five to 10 people a day are coming down with the H1N1 virus, according to lab reports at the Westport Weston Health District — the government agency that provides public health services to both towns.

About three weeks ago, only two or three people a week were reporting the illness, said district health director Mark Cooper.

"I've seen much increased reporting," Cooper said. "Keep in mind, I get the reports from people who were sick a week ago. If you feel sick today, and you go to the doctor tomorrow, by the time I get the report you are on the mend."

Despite the lag time, Cooper said locally H1N1, or the "swine flu virus" has been seen in waves. 

"Numbers will uptick and then it trails off," he said.

To try and keep up with the virus, the health district continues to schedule H1N1 vaccination clinics as often as the doses become available. The next clinic is scheduled for Tuesday.

Just as the virus is seen in waves among community residents, Cooper said the same is true in the Westport School District. Community data is mirroring that reported from school officials, he said.

"We have more kids out absent than we usually do this time of year, sometimes even more than double what we would expect especially during the middle of the week, and we're pretty sure the majority of that is H1N1," said Nadine Schwab, health services supervisor for Westport Public Schools. "Were seeing a pattern of (the virus) going up and thinking it will really hit us now and then drop down."

Over the past week and a half, Schwab said one of the middle schools reported absent rates as high as 13 percent. Unsubstantiated rumors had also circulated that Staples High School was going to close because of high H1N1 rates but Schwab said Staples hadn't even neared high rates. The highest absent rate at Staples was last Monday and neared about 9.5 percent, Schwab said.

The illness has affected students more than just causing some of them to stay home in bed. As reported in the high school newspaper Inklings, the Staples Players production of Guys and Dolls was performed largely by understudies due to numerous cases of swine flu among cast members that caused many of the leads to fall ill.

Rumors of a closure led Superintendent of Schools Elliott Landon to send a letter last week to parents about  the "non-alarming" prevalence of H1N1 in the schools.

"There are a number of unfortunate rumors being passed around the community concerning H1N1 and other flu-like illnesses in our schools," Landon wrote. "As we have advised you previously, we do have some confirmed cases of H1N1 and flu-like illness among students and in our schools. According to the Westport Weston Health District with whom we work very closely, some Westport schools are seeing increases in absenteeism above the baseline, but nothing alarming."

On Monday of last week, those absent rates hovered at some of the schools between 9 and 12 percent of the student population. By later in the week, however, those percentages dropped between 3 and 7 percent at all schools.

"I think we thought the first school to get up to 9 percent, we thought it was going to increase and increase, but that's just not happening," Schwab said. I can't tell you why and it doesn't mean we don't have one that will."

Closing a school for H1N1 related reasons would only be considered if absent rates hit the 40 to 50 percent range and included enough teacher absences that would prevent the school from operating, Schwab said, which is in keeping with recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"They recommend you keep schools open unless you can't run them," Schwab said. "What we have done so far, which made the most sense, is through Dr. Landon's office, he has been sending out a bulletin to let parents know what's going on."

Health Director Mark Cooper said keeping the schools open is the right call.

"There's very little evidence that closing a school for a day or two or three does anything to prevent the spread," he said. "The school environment is a reflection of the community environment."

Schwab said the schools are not notifying parents of each child who goes home with flu-like illnesses because it would generate too much paper and they don't do that for instances of seasonal flu.

They have notified parents of children with chronic illnesses to get vaccinated for H1N1 and Dr. Landon has been reminding parents in his bulletins to keep children home if they are sick.

Schwab said teachers are seeing children come to school when they shouldn't because they are too sick.

"Some of the parents are being wonderfully cooperative and many are calling us and telling us they are keeping them home as they should, but some aren't and that's unfortunate for everyone else because it contributes to the spread," Schwab said. "In schools, kids are close together in classrooms and cafeterias. When they cough and sneeze because they are sick, they cough out droplets that have the virus in it."

Cooper agrees the best way to prevent the illness from spreading is to stay home if you are sick and to get vaccinated.

As more and more people get vaccinated, Cooper said less and less people will contract H1N1 or the seasonal flu.

To date, the health district has vaccinated about 1,000 people through various H1N1 clinics. A new clinic is scheduled for Tuesday and will only accept those who make appointments. To do so, click here.

The clinic does not plan to host another open clinic but will continue to host appointment-only clinics as the vaccine becomes available.

Cooper said the state has not upheld its promises of keeping the facility vaccinated. He intends to continue the clinics until everyone who wants to be vaccinated is, an effort that will likely continue for many more months, he said.

"We are suspecting it will not go away and it will continue to be out there," Cooper said. "As we get more vaccines, we'll try to get to everyone vaccinated as quickly, efficiently and pleasantly as possible."