A few important facts:

•        H1N1 is a different strain of Flu than our regular seasonal Flu

•        Symptoms of the H1N1 are no worse than the regular Flu at this point

•        The big difference is that we don't have antibodies to fight against the H1N1 Flu and vaccine is not available at this time.

•        Hand washing is the most important thing that we can do to reduce the spread of infection (we will be showing a hand washing video to all students on channel 1 this week - I will pass the DVD around to teachers in the annex to make sure those students get the information)

•        The FLU is here in our communities.  It is not isolated to our schools.  It is present in our stores, movie theaters, malls, churches and any where that people gather together. 

•        We are not handing out masks to wear.  I have masks in my office to be used only when a student or individual is suspected to have the flu and until the parent can arrive to pick them up.  Masks will only be worn by the individual who show signs and symptoms of the flu.

•        Posters have been placed through out the school promoting hand washing and prevention of communicable diseases.

•        Students who have been sick should be free of fever for 24 hours without fever reducing medication before returning to school.

•        H1N1 Flu update information for parents and students is available on the Mobile County Public Schools website at http://www.mcpss.com/

Please visit the Centers for Disease Control for more information:  http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/