PORTLAND — Maine's largest school district reported its first two confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza Tuesday, both at Longfellow Elementary School.
One person with the illness remained at home for seven days, through the contagious period, and is now symptom-free, school officials said. The second person is at home for the remainder of the contagious period.
School officials said there haven't been widespread reports of flu-like illness in the city's public schools. They urged a calm, reasoned response to the situation.
"Although these are our first laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1, that does not change anything we are doing," said Amanda Rowe, the district's school nurse coordinator.
School officials are encouraging hand washing and coughing into one's sleeve to help prevent the spread of disease. They're also asking parents to have their children vaccinated against both seasonal and H1N1 flu at flu shot clinics starting Oct. 30.
Flu symptoms include a fever of more than 100 degrees, coughing, sore throat, muscle aches, and sometimes stomach upset and diarrhea.
Portland school nurses are urging parents to keep sick children at home, and are asking sick employees to stay at home as well.
Nurses are sending home students and staff members who have fevers of more than 100 degrees and telling them to remain at home until they're fever-free for at least 24 hours. School nurses continue to monitor flu-like illnesses.
The flu shot clinic schedule is posted on the Flu Update blog at www.portlandschools.org. The permission slip for H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccinations will be sent home with students within the next week and may be downloaded from the Flu Update blog.
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