School Closures May Not Be Necessary When Swine F...(. In essence the recommendations balance...),Health

Among the recommendations:

• Students and school staff should exercise good flu hygiene, such as hand washing and covering noses and mouths with tissue when sneezing or coughing (use a shirt sleeve if tissue is unavailable).
• If flu is suspected, the affected person should contact a health-care worker as soon as possible. People at high risk (due to pregnancy, or medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes) should take antiviral medication immediately to reduce risk of prolonged or dangerous illness.
• Schools should have an action plan for flu outbreaks, including a room set aside for people suspected of coming down with flu, as they wait to be transported home. Schools should also have a contingency plan should important personnel, such as school nurses, fall ill.
• The CDC recommends the use of surgical masks for ill students or staff and those caring for them.
• The education of students who are ill at home with the flu should be continued, using phone calls, homework packets and Web-based learning.
• Any ill student or staff member should stay home for an additional 24 hours after flu symptoms such as fever have ended, even if they are using antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu.
• Select schools with high populations of high-risk students (for example, schools for "medically fragile" students) may want to consider closure.

However, these guidelines may need to be revisited and revised should the swine flu prove more dangerous this fall, health officials said. Under those conditions:

• Parents should check their children each morning for flu symptoms and keep them home if they have a fever. Students should also be screened for flu symptoms upon arrival at
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