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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchools stress swine flu cautionSchools stress swine flu caution By ANGELA H. BROWN Associated Press ARLINGTON — Less than two weeks before most Texas children head back to school, many districts are stocking up on hand sanitizers, meet- ing with health officials and printing swine flu preven- tion posters. "I think swine flu is on everybody's mind because of 1.•••••■1111Ir predictions that there will be a heavy flu season this fall," Texas Education Agency spokeswoman Debbie Rat- cliffe said Wednesday. In Arlington, officials hope to "take the fear factor out of the flu" by providing infor- mation tb parents before school starts Aug. 24, Mayor. Robert Cluck said. "We will still remain a safe city and be able to handle whatever is thrown at us in the next six months." Posters in English, Spanish and Vietnamese on how to stop the spread of swine flu are being distrib- uted not only in schools but throughout Arlington. The city is a major tourist desti- nation, home to Six Flags Over Texas, the Texas Rangers baseball team and the Dallas Cowboys, who will play their first preseason game in their new stadium next week. "We're not' going to close those venues because of the swine flu," Cluck said. "Of course, that is subject to change, but that is our cur- rent plan." More than 5,200 cases of swine flu — also known as the H1N1 flu — and 28 deaths from the flu were confirmed Continued from A9 the spring, some 500,000 of the state's 4.7 million students stayed home when more than 850 schools closed for a few days or longer. The 80,000- student Fort Worth district, which shut down for nearly two weeks from late April to early May, was among several districts that closed. Many events were canceled — including outdoor festi- vals,- a college's graduation and Special Olympics Texas' spring games. But since then, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its guidelines, now saying that buildings should be closed only in drastic cases and that sick students may return as soon. as 24 hours after their fever is gone. The CDC also recommends that students get H1N1 flu vacci- nations, which are expected to be ready by fall. The CDC continues to stress prevention by encouraging people to wash their hands, cough into their sleeves and in Texas from April through July 31, the most recent peri- od for which data are avail- able, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. About 65 percent of those who caught the flu were children ages 5 to 18, based on early reported cases, the department said. At the height of flu fears in See FLU, Page All AP photo Amanda Coleman and her husband, James, holding their 15- month -old son, Zacary, receive information from school nurse Merrye Peregrino at Rankin Elementary School on Wednesday. The Colemans' 4- year -old daughter, Zoei, will attend pre - kindergarten at the Arlington school when classes start. stay home if they get sick. Fort Worth schools already have posters about prevent- ing the virus's spread, said district spokesman Clint Boyd. The district has been meeting with Tarrant County health officials and will con- tinue to follow CDC guide- lines, which do not include taking extraordinary meas- ures to disinfect buildings, he said. Some districts have been developing or fine - tuning online tools so students can keep up with classwork if they get sick or their entire district closes again, Ratcl' said.