MONROE - Area school districts work with county, state and national health departments to decide when and if schools need to be closed over fears of spreading swine flu, now called H1N1.
"Things are unfolding day by day, hour by hour," Monroe school district nurse, Lori Soderberg, said.
Soderberg works closely with Green County public health official RoAnn Warden and Monroe Clinic.
Warden is responsible for making the decision and public notification, in collaboration with school district administration, according to Soderberg.
"At this time we are not seeing any cases that we are aware of," she said.
The Milwaukee Health Department closed four Milwaukee public schools - three elementary and one high school - Wednesday, after a number of children showed symptoms consistent with swine flu. Concerns about the virus caused St. Anthony Catholic school in Milwaukee to close both its campuses of about 1,050 students Thursday and Friday as a precautionary measure.
Another Milwaukee Catholic school, St. Adalbert School, had twice as many absences as usual Thursday. Principal Julia Hutchinson says none of their children are suspected of having the flu. But parents are being more cautious - both in keeping sick kids home and sending healthy kids to school.
Monroe area school district leaders also are participating in teleconferences put on by the Center for Disease Control and U.S. Department of Education.
Soderberg attended one Monday and a second one at 12:30 p.m. Thursday. The teleconferences give her updates, recommendations and precautionary measures to follow.
"Right now, we are really being vigilant about hand washing and teaching kids to cover their mouths," she said.
Any kids not feeling well are evaluated at the health office. There is a nurse assistant in each school building, Soderberg added.
Nurses look for signs of illness that are symptomatic of the flu: an abrupt onset of fever, a sore throat, body and headaches, and sinus congestion. Later symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea.
When students show signs of the flu, school officials will be contacting parents and asking them to take their child to the clinic for testing.
On Thursday, a top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said schools should close if they have a confirmed flu case, or they strongly suspect one. Previously, the government said such schools should only consider closing.
The federal Education Department's count of schools closed due to concerns over swine flu stood at 298 on Thursday, tripling from around 100 on Wednesday. Most will be closed only for a few days.
About 172,000 students are affected in 11 states, from every region of the country.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 144 suspected cases had been submitted for testing. Of those, 41 tested negative, 100 were pending and the three were listed as probable.
"We feel prepared and good about the plans, when and if comes to the area," Soderberg said.
The swine flu virus is a combination of a pig, bird and human virus.
The virus can mutate and is capable of changing quickly; no vaccine has been prepared for it, Soderber said.
The virus does not come from eating pork.
In Green County, Soderberg said we are lucky to have great health care and two anti-viral prescription medications to help counter the virus effects.
She advises that people with the flu isolate themselves, even within the home, do plenty of hand washing and stay hydrated.
Wisconsin hasn't had any confirmed cases reported since the illness broke out in Mexico. The CDC on Thursday reported 109 confirmed cases elsewhere across the U.S., led by 50 in New York and 26 in Texas.
The CDC's Division of Strategic National Stockpile is releasing one-quarter of its anti-viral drugs, personal equipment and respiratory protection devices to help states respond to the outbreak.
- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
"Things are unfolding day by day, hour by hour," Monroe school district nurse, Lori Soderberg, said.
Soderberg works closely with Green County public health official RoAnn Warden and Monroe Clinic.
Warden is responsible for making the decision and public notification, in collaboration with school district administration, according to Soderberg.
"At this time we are not seeing any cases that we are aware of," she said.
The Milwaukee Health Department closed four Milwaukee public schools - three elementary and one high school - Wednesday, after a number of children showed symptoms consistent with swine flu. Concerns about the virus caused St. Anthony Catholic school in Milwaukee to close both its campuses of about 1,050 students Thursday and Friday as a precautionary measure.
Another Milwaukee Catholic school, St. Adalbert School, had twice as many absences as usual Thursday. Principal Julia Hutchinson says none of their children are suspected of having the flu. But parents are being more cautious - both in keeping sick kids home and sending healthy kids to school.
Monroe area school district leaders also are participating in teleconferences put on by the Center for Disease Control and U.S. Department of Education.
Soderberg attended one Monday and a second one at 12:30 p.m. Thursday. The teleconferences give her updates, recommendations and precautionary measures to follow.
"Right now, we are really being vigilant about hand washing and teaching kids to cover their mouths," she said.
Any kids not feeling well are evaluated at the health office. There is a nurse assistant in each school building, Soderberg added.
Nurses look for signs of illness that are symptomatic of the flu: an abrupt onset of fever, a sore throat, body and headaches, and sinus congestion. Later symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea.
When students show signs of the flu, school officials will be contacting parents and asking them to take their child to the clinic for testing.
On Thursday, a top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said schools should close if they have a confirmed flu case, or they strongly suspect one. Previously, the government said such schools should only consider closing.
The federal Education Department's count of schools closed due to concerns over swine flu stood at 298 on Thursday, tripling from around 100 on Wednesday. Most will be closed only for a few days.
About 172,000 students are affected in 11 states, from every region of the country.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 144 suspected cases had been submitted for testing. Of those, 41 tested negative, 100 were pending and the three were listed as probable.
"We feel prepared and good about the plans, when and if comes to the area," Soderberg said.
The swine flu virus is a combination of a pig, bird and human virus.
The virus can mutate and is capable of changing quickly; no vaccine has been prepared for it, Soderber said.
The virus does not come from eating pork.
In Green County, Soderberg said we are lucky to have great health care and two anti-viral prescription medications to help counter the virus effects.
She advises that people with the flu isolate themselves, even within the home, do plenty of hand washing and stay hydrated.
Wisconsin hasn't had any confirmed cases reported since the illness broke out in Mexico. The CDC on Thursday reported 109 confirmed cases elsewhere across the U.S., led by 50 in New York and 26 in Texas.
The CDC's Division of Strategic National Stockpile is releasing one-quarter of its anti-viral drugs, personal equipment and respiratory protection devices to help states respond to the outbreak.
- The Associated Press contributed to this report.