With the
Some schools, such as
That starts with simple, common-sense steps your child should take to protect his or her health. The most important are to wash hands often with soap and water, to cover the nose and mouth with a tissue when sneezing, and to avoid close contact with sick people. The key symptoms of the virus to watch for include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills, and fatigue. Younger children (especially those younger than 2) and children who have chronic medical conditions might be at serious risk of severe complications from flu infection. If your child falls into that category, it's important to talk to your doctor early and ask if your child should be examined.
In children, warning signs that signal the need for urgent medical care include fast breathing or trouble breathing, bluish skin color, returning and worsening flulike symptoms, and fever with a rash.
Given the rhetoric used to describe the H1N1 virus and the uncertainty over how dangerous it might become, it's natural for children, parents, and teachers to feel anxious. Giving children a sense of control over their risk of infection can help reduce this anxiety, says the
"It's a twofold issue," says
In case the school system has to close because of a swine flu outbreak, her district is developing a protocol to deliver two- to three-week instructional units to students through the Internet. Deeming its own internal technology and Web development tools too cumbersome, the district is working with Learn360, an online service for K-12 schools that delivers interactive distance learning programs.
Experts say that districts should take stock of the tools they have for delivering curricula to students outside of school. The federal
At
This "digital divide" between students notwithstanding, educators see continuity of learning programs as an opportunity to evaluate how technology can be used to expand their teaching capabilities.
"This is fairly revolutionary," says Cable Green, E-learning director for the
Says Jones, "These technologies are really helping school districts think about learning in the 21st century. It's propelled us forward in a more rapid fashion, and that's a good thing."
Vive la Resistance to Flu
Debora MacKenzie
Vaccinating people against swine flu may be a lot easier than anyone dared hope, as it turns out that people have an unexpected degree of immunity to the pandemic now sweeping the world.
Air Kisses, Hugs, and Other Ways to Avoid Getting Swine Flu
Deborah Kotz
In an effort to contain swine flu, the French Health Ministry this week called for citizens to avoid "all direct contacts between people and particularly with sick people," which means no kissing or shaking hands.
4 Flu Vaccine Doses for Kids This Fall -- but Where and When
Nancy Shute
This may go down in history as the most confusing flu season ever, given that a vaccine for the new H1N1 swine flu isn't yet available, but the plain old seasonal flu vaccine is. Talk about a recipe for pandemonium at the pediatrician's office!
Seasonal Cold or Swine Flu? Moms Face Tough Calls
Deborah Kotz
I sent my 11-year-old son to school today with a stuffy nose and mild cough, as I've done countless times in the past. Now, though, I'm wondering whether I should have kept him home. How do I know it's really a garden-variety cold and not the swine flu?
Still Confused About Swine Flu Shots? Kids Under 10 Will Need 2
Nancy Shute
The National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases made it easy to think that all children will need just one swine flu immunization, but that's not true. The younger a child is, the less well his or her immune system responded to the swine flu vaccine in clinical trials. So children under age 10 will need two doses of swine flu vaccine, one month apart, according to the NIAID itself.
Better Ways Medicine Can Beat Back Swine Flu
Bernadine Healy M.D.
Yes, today's swine flu outbreak could change quickly. But it's time to give up the ghosts of 1918 that so haunt our medical thinking. Our challenges today are not what they were when we had nothing to offer but are more about knowing just what to offer, when, and to whom. This swine flu pandemic promises to teach numerous lessons that will inform future crises. Some are already evident
(c) 2009 U.S. News & World Report