Eleven cases of Influenza A have been confirmed in the month of October alone, said Nate Dahle, infection control and performance improvement coordinator. In September, five cases of the virus were reported.
"It's being managed very well at the public health and clinic level," he said.
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"Since then we don't have so many out anymore," he said.
No data on St. John’s School was available by press time.
Once the flu season roared to life at local schools, the district followed the recent trend by placing hand sanitizers in public areas such as the lunch room and music rooms. But most parents are sending it with their kids to school, said Connell.
Wilkin County Public Health reported peak absences at area schools. Twenty-nine students at Breckenridge Elementary School were gone Oct. 12 due to flu-like symptoms, the highest amount so far. At the high school, no notable illnesses have occurred and the numbers have not increased, said Deb Jacobs, public health director.
Nineteen students at St. Mary's School were absent the same day and Rothsay School District had 14 students ill last week. No information is currently available on the Campbell-Tintah School District. Absences at each school have since decreased.
The concern over H1N1 continues to grow. On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health announced a new hotline available for those seeking help for flu symptoms. By 8 a.m. Thursday, it received more than 2,100 calls, according to a state department health release.
The FluLine number, 1-866-269-4655, was made public at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
"The fact we had so many callers seeking help for flu symptoms only underscores the importance of having a service like this," said Ruth Lynfield, state epidemiologist. "Those are the people for whom this service was intended, and we are glad that people got that message."
unknown wrote on Oct 27, 2009 7:43 AM: