Six Riverside-Brookfield High School students apparently came down last week with the H1N1 flu, commonly known as swine flu, according to officials at the school.
Two students were first absent on Oct. 20, two others were absent Oct. 20 and another was out Thursday, according to Heather Spry, attendance clerk at RB. Spry said the parents of the absent students told her that their children had swine flu.
A memo posted on the school’s Web site Monday by Interim District 208 Superintendent David Bonnette said that by then up to six cases of swine flu had been reported at RB.
The students all visited local doctors, Bonnette said. It’s impossible to know for sure if the cases are indeed H1N1 unless a specific test is done; many local doctors aren’t doing that test, Bonnette said.
To check whether the students actually had swine flu, the RB school nurse, Alison Jackson, is contacting each student’s doctor to see if the diagnostic tests that are necessary to diagnosis swine flu were done.
Bonnette posted a memo on the RB Web site after the first two cases were reported. In the memo, Bonnette recommends that students who come down with the flu stay home until they have been without a fever and off medication for 24 hours. The memo also reminds students and staff to cover their mouths and noses when coughing and to thoroughly wash their hands. RB’s custodial and cafeteria staff, Bonnette said, are doing extra cleaning and disinfecting as a precaution.
Bonnette notified RB parents who have signed up for the school’s e-mail alerts.
Both Riverside Elementary School District 96 Superintendent Jonathan Lamberson and Brookfield LaGrange Park Superintendent Mark Kuznieski said that they were not aware of any cases of swine flu in their districts.
-Bob Skolnik
