Elementary student at Byron-Bergen contracts H1N1

Posted by Howard Owens on June 22, 2009 - 9:25am
Tagged in
Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly versionSend to friendSend to friend

Parents of Byron-Bergen students were informed late Friday afternoon, according to WBTA, that a student at Byron-Bergen Elementary School contracted H1N1 flu.

A copy of the automated notification was obtained by WBTA, and Superintendent Gregory Geer wrote, “This H1N1 (Swine Flu) strain of flu, although hyped in the media, is a mild form of influenza.”

According to the New York State Health Department Web site, 1,756 people in New York have contracted H1N1.

Posted by Karen Miconi on June 22, 2009 - 9:31am
H1N1 is getting a little to close for comfort. I wish they would just end school now. Its so hot in the classrooms, and in a confined area, the germ has a chance to spread. I think it would be in the best interest of the kids to pull them today. Whats more important, getting the money from NYS, or our kids??
Posted by Chelsea Dobson on June 22, 2009 - 9:35am
H1N1 is just a flu. Would you ask the schools to close earlier in December if there were cases of the flu before Winter Break?

You can't put your kids in a bubble. I would almost rather have contact with someone with the flu so that I could have it and be able to fight it if there really is an "epidemic" in the future. (This is coming from someone who gets sick with various illnesses throughout the winter, so I know how much the flu sucks)
Posted by Peter O'Brien on June 22, 2009 - 10:52am
Panic!!!! Oh No!!! Our Precious Children!!! When will Obama step in and save us!!!!!
Posted by tp hunt on June 22, 2009 - 11:01am
Let us hope that they develope a vaccine soon and the virus does not mutate to a different and more deadly form. Our children, the next generation, needs the most protection.
Posted by Doug Yeomans on June 28, 2009 - 8:41am
Amen, Peter. Heaven forbid anyone gets the flu on his watch!

TP Hunt, any virus has the ability to mutate and become more virulent. CDC estimated that about 36,000 people died of flu-related causes each year, on average, during the 1990s in the United States.

Reference: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/us_flu-related_deaths.htm

Chelsea, if you get sick all winter long I suggest hand washing and no nose picking. Keep your hands away from your face and you'll seldom get sick. Getting the flu won't protect you from a new strain that causes an epidemic. Epidemics are caused by virii that people have no immunity to which is why it becomes pandemic in the first place.

The 1918 flu pandemic (commonly referred to as the Spanish flu) was an influenza pandemic that spread to nearly every part of the world. It was caused by an unusually virulent and deadly Influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1. Scientists have used tissue samples from frozen victims to reproduce the virus for study. Given the strain's extreme virulence there has been controversy regarding the wisdom of such research. Among the conclusions of this research is that the virus kills via a cytokine storm (overreaction of the body's immune system) which explains its unusually severe nature and the concentrated age profile of its victims. The strong immune systems of young adults ravaged the body, whereas the weaker immune systems of children and middle-aged adults caused fewer deaths.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic
Posted by Doug Yeomans on June 28, 2009 - 8:51am
Having a super strong immune system is not always a great thing. I listened to Dr Dean Edell explaining it on the radio at one time. The people killed in the 1918 flu pandemic weren't actually killed by the flu. They drown in their own fluids because of an over reaction by their own immune system.