As you may already know, an outbreak of swine flu has caused the U.S. to issue a public health emergency. Although we do not have any known cases in Marshall County, we are doing everything possible to protect the health of our students and limit the spread of swine flu.

Following the recommendation of the Alabama High School Athletic Association, all athletic events scheduled, beginning April 30 until further notice, have been cancelled. This includes the Marshall County Special Olympics. Also postponed until a later date are the Marshall County Scholars’ Bowl and the Spring Choral Concert at Guntersville High School.

The symptoms of swine flu in people appear to be similar to the symptoms of regular human influenza and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. As with seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

Our school nurses are staying informed and monitoring the situation every day and encourage you to do the following:

• Keep your children home from school if they are sick, and contact a health physician if flu-like symptoms are exhibited.
• Instruct children to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around your child from getting sick.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick, too.
• Wash hands frequently to protect against germs. Wash with soap and water, or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.
• Practice other good health habits. Keep yourself strong – and more resistant to disease – by getting plenty of sleep, staying physically active, managing stress, drinking plenty of fluids, and eating nutritious food.

If you would like more information, you can call the Marshall County Health Department. You can also check the following websites: Center for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ ;
Alabama Dept of Public Health: http://www.adph.org
US Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov (click on swine flu information link)

Let me assure you that the health and well-being of our students is our top priority and we are doing everything possible to address the situation. Please feel free to contact my office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Andy Lee