Austin school announces closing........(swine flu)

[Joanne98]

School to close, other flu precautions recommended

By | Saturday, April 25, 2009, 03:00 PM

The Texas Department of State Health Services has issued the following news release:

The Texas Department of State Health Services announced today that Byron Steele High School in Cibolo will temporarily close effective immediately as public health and school officials work to keep swine influenza from spreading.

Swine flu was confirmed earlier this month in two students from the school, and a third student is listed as a probable case with confirmatory lab test results pending. The original two have recovered, and the third is recovering. The school is part of the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District in Guadalupe County near San Antonio.

“The purpose is to reduce the risk to students, staff and the community,” said Sandra Guerra, M.D., a DSHS regional director and the public health authority for Guadalupe County.

She also urged students not to be around each other while school is out. “That would defeat the purpose,” she said. The school’s extracurricular activities also will be cancelled.

DSHS is urging the school’s staff, faculty, students and their household members to avoid contact with others, especially if they have symptoms of a respiratory illness.

Additionally, the following precautions are strongly recommended for all residents of Guadalupe County: •Public gatherings should be postponed for the immediate future. •Anyone with symptoms of a respiratory illness, and their household members, should stay home and avoid close contact with others.

Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to those of regular or seasonal flu and include fever, fatigue, lack of appetite and coughing. Some with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Health officials say everyone should follow standard precautions to reduce the spread of any respiratory illness. •Stay home when you are sick to avoid spreading illness to others. •Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or a tissue and properly dispose of used tissues. •Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/health/entries/2009/04/25/school_to_close_other_flu_prec.html

[myrna minx]

1. I hope these precautions will keep the kids safe from this flu. n/t

[luvspeas]

2. This school is not in Austin...

It's near San Antonio, but it's not a San Antonio school either. Quit trying to drum up panic. It's the same podunk rural school the same 3 kids came from and it's the only reported cases in Texas.

[spotbird]

5. Is it a rural community? nt

[Bluebear]

6. "Quit trying to drum up panic." - quit casting aspargus on a longtime DUer.

Thank you.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Podunk rural school??

So they don't matter as much? Since they are a podunk school and rural on top of that?

[TwilightZone]

11. I think the point was that it's in a rural location and not a metro area with two million people.

The potential consequences are a little different.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. I got that

I just didn't like that word 'podunk'.

[TwilightZone]

13. Understood.

I grew up in a 'podunk' town, so I know what you mean.

[Avalux]

14. Actually Cibolo is 18 miles from downtown San Antonio up I35.

If you're familiar with how San Antonio sprawls, it IS in a metro location with 2 million people.

[TwilightZone]

16. Updated - bad Google maps link!

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=san+antonio,+tx&daddr=Cibolo,+Texas&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=28.796546,-99.283447&sspn=4.986056,6.954346&ie=UTF8&z=9

Try 78 miles, Cibolo to downtown SA.

Edit: on edit, Google Maps is wrong and, therefore, so was I. Mapquest has it in the correct location - Cibolo is in the San Antonio metro:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Cibolo&state=TX

[Avalux]

18. That map is screwed up; took you in the wrong direction.

Look at it again and find Schertz, off I35 north of SA. Cibolo is right there, beside Schertz. I know, I live here. :hi:

[TwilightZone]

19. Yeah, you're right.

Weird. I switched the directions, and it still "sent" me out to the middle of nowhere.

Out of curiosity, I tried Mapquest and it located it correctly.

Sorry about that. My bad!

[Avalux]

20. No biggie - strange Google would do that.

There isn't even a name of a town or anything where it ends! :hi:

[Joanne98]

17. Sorry. I can't change it now it's too late.

[spotbird]

3. It's noble effort,

but unless they are chained or drugged into a coma, highschoolers will be around each other, exchanging all sorts of germs.

[Avalux]

4. Please correct - the school is in Cibolo - NOT Austin.

Cibolo is right outside of San Antonio's city limits.

:hi:

[Joanne98]

15. Sorry too late.

[rainbow4321]

7. It's not an Austin school

I believe they are talking about the one southwest of San Antonio where the 3 kids have been diagnosed. It's an Austin newspaper that is at your link, though.

Only adding this cuz I have a daughter going to college in Austin and my heart kinda skipped a beat when I read the subject line. Given how this is spreading, it may very well make it to Austin at some point. Gonna have to call her to give her a head's up... that she doesn't watch/read the news, she most likely doesn't have a clue about all of this.

[luvspeas]

8. see, I told you somebody'd panic...

n/t

[TwilightZone]

9. Never mind!

The school is not in Austin. Wouldn't want any of my neighbors to freak! :)

Thank you.

Edit: on edit, it's probably too late for the update. Never mind!

[PCIntern]

21. In Stephen King's "the Stand"

Cibola (spelled correctly) was mentioned in one memorable passage...

interesting coincidence...Cibolo/Cibola