Hundreds of thousands of students across Florida returned to school today. For some, especially the little ones in kindergarten, there was much anxiety and even tears. It was particularly hard leaving Mom or Dad or both, on that very first day at school. For others, while there was sadness, there was also joy–meeting up again with fellow students and making new friends.
But throughout all the picture taking, school buses that did not come early, congested traffic and forgotten lunch boxes, there was one thing on the minds of some parents and older students and that is, the dangers of swine flu.
At many schools the message of good hygiene, including frequent washing of hands, covering coughs and sneezes, keeping children at home when flu symptoms appear, were reinforced. And at college campuses too, there were dozens of hand sanitizers for students’ use at state universities.
Earlier this month, Governor Charlie Crist and Florida’s Surgeon General, Dr. Ana Viamonte Ros, went on a mission to get the “good hygiene” message out and had visited several Florida schools in Orange County.
Moreover school buildings, class rooms and school buses were scrubbed and facilities disinfected.
According to Crist, “We can’t take anything for granted, we have to always be vigilant.”
It is just as well that the swine flu pandemic is treated seriously, as earlier today, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), an independent group of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers, issued a report which indicated that, 2009-H1N1 virus, otherwise known as swine flu, posed a serious threat to the U.S. and the world.
The report noted that one plausible scenario for the impact of the fall resurgence of swine flu is that, between 30-50 percent of the U.S. population could be infected this fall and winter. As well, the epidemic could cause up to 90,000 deaths in the U.S. concentrated among children and young adults.
Meanwhile, on the first day of school, Florida’s Department of Health launched a swine flu information line. The Call Center will answer questions that parents, students or anyone else might have concerning swine flu. The Call Center will open from 8:00 pm to 8:00 pm, eastern time. The Florida Flu Information Line is: 877-352-3581.
