WFAA Sports Office TAKE NOTE: LIFE is more precious than sports and it does exist without sports for a couple of weeks. SHAME ON YOU and GET OVER YOURSELF!

Aaron I completely agree with you. This is getting ridiculous.

Question...do you think the UIL would have suspended Football games for 2 weeks if this was happening during football season?

BillyBob, you are right on. If football were involved would be totally different.

finally some common sense fromt he media! As a trauma nurse, we lose about 35000 people a year from the influenza that we ALREADY HAVE. The "epicenter" in Mexico City? There are 18 million people living there and they've had no more than 3000 people get sick. That's a LOW amount. This is total sensationalism and is just out of control. Shutting down schools and canceling sports events? Do we do that during the winter when WAY more kids get the flu? No.

Yep, football is the money maker. They wouldn't shut that down...Don't even let the UIL hide behind the guise of "Its for the children!", that is simply not true.

UIL is way overreacting. If it is so dangerous, why are kids still allowed to go to school; why are people still going to work; why are other major gatherings being canceled (NBA games, concerts, etc.).

The bus ride to the event is more dangerous than the risk of dying from swine flu.

As a school nurse dealing with influenza each and every year....just my humble, but educated, opinion:

Swine flu is exceedingly similar to regular seasonal influenza...it is a sub-type of type A.

Virologists tells us that genetically the virus is a combination of human, avian, and swine flu virus...but mostly swine, hence the name.

It is not any more virulent or dangerous than seasonal flu, but because it is a new virus to humans (i,e, made the leap from infecting pigs to infecting humans), we have no vaccine or residual immunity to it from previous vaccines or infections...so that can make it a little worse.

The media really is creating hysteria...every flu season I bang my head against the wall trying to get parents to check temps and not send sick kids, and no one listens. This is, essentially, the same illness everyone ignores in the fall and winter.

About 36,000 people die of complications of seasonal flu each year...and you do not see this mass hysteria.

So far, the number of deaths from swine flu have been stated, depending on the source, as between 20-159 in Mexico (where they have inadequate medical care or lack of access to antiviral medications), and we just had a toddler die in Brownsville.

21-160 deaths versus 36,000....yet we have all the hysteria. Of, course no deaths are desirable, but let's keep a perspective.

ANY flu has the potential for becoming a widespread epidemic or pandemic, not just swine flu.

It is important for the news media to keep the public informed, but it is irresponsible to do it in a way which causes fear and hysteria.

People need to practice good hand washing and respiratory hygiene, see their health care provider for sore throat, cough, body aches, chills, malaise, fever, and in some cases, accompanying nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and not panic : )

Seems funny to me that the very same news media that so desperately wants to make this a much bigger deal than it is freaks out when some other organization makes this a much bigger deal than it is. In all honesty the UIL did overreact, but why is that? It couldn't be because all parents have been hearing for several days now, from every news outlet there is, that the swine flu is coming and its going to get your kids. Aaron, how many gasps have the sports department there at WFAA taken when watching the news broadcast?

The people who die from the flu are the immunocompromised - those with weak immune systems (the elderly, young children, those already sick). I don't think high school athletes would fit into that category. Yes, they could catch it and spread it, but no more than any other cold or flu.

Dan, I've been gasping at the news coverage too, but it took it to become a sports story for it to fall under territory I could blog about!

Aaron,

You mention, "...the UIL is going too far and being too reactionary."

This is actually referred to as being proactive.

You mention, "That's 16 cases out of about 24 million people in the state. The percentage is pretty low."

What about the parents that have a child who has contracted the swine flu? Don't you think they are concerned? What if one of those 16, including a 7 year old from the Richardson area, dies? Are you going to quote percentages? You may be correct in your math, but for those parents who could possibly lose a child due to this swine flu, that could be their 1. The UIL is correct in this respect to cancel all UIL athletic competitions so as to stop the spread of this disease and to also possibly prevent a child's death.

Your comment, "It's time to take a deep breath (so long as no one is coughing nearby) and put this in perspective. It's not a time to overreact," is a flippant remark that should be retracted.

I know it is a small percentage at this time however this virus spreads like wildfire so I understand taking percautions. If we didnt then with in 6 months we could see a high volume of deaths. If this becomes the case then who will be blamed for not taking percautions. It could be one of your loved ones that gets very ill or worse (death). The more this virus spreads the stronger it could get. It is better to be safe than sorry so I have no complaints.

Thanks for writing Will.
I wrote reactionary, because it seems as if they are reacting to the fear mongering, not to common sense.

NO ONE wants anyone to become ill and certainly does not want a child to die, certainly not me.

But every year thousands and thousands of people die from the regular flu and no events are canceled. My point is this is a disproportionate reaction to the threat.

Sensible precautions should be taken, but there has to be some proportion. Parents should have every right to keep their children home if they feel that is in their best interest and events should be canceled if there is cause, but, again, my point is it should be proportional.

Thanks again for your comments.

I have to agree that there seems to be a lot of knee-jerk reaction going on in the state right now. Gov. Perry is now having to tell folks not to panic.

However, considering the number of folks who go out when they are sick with the "regular" flu I can see the UIL cancelling all events. I mean I used to sit next to a woman at work who came to work running a fever and obviously very ill and spreading her germs and virus to all in the area.

I have to stand up for my fellow blogger in crime, Aaron Chimbel. There are many health "risks" out there, even before the Swine Flu. Do we need to put our lives on hold for all these risks?

Let's keep things in perspective. There's a different between 16 cases and an outbreak of thousands. If we're in Mexico, yes, let's cancel all sporting events.

Last I checked, we're not in Mexico.

LISD has just shut down one of their elementary schools for a week. Why does it take a week to clean a school and what are parents supposed to do with their kids when this happens??
http://www.lisd.net/communications/site_media/pdfs/press_release/swine_feederschool.pdf

Dawn Wilcox, R.N., B.S.N. said: but because it is a new virus to humans (i,e, made the leap from infecting pigs to infecting humans), we have no vaccine or residual immunity to it from previous vaccines or infections...so that can make it a little worse.

THIS IS ENOUGH FOR ME TO AGREE WITH THE UIL BOARD

this is absolutely ridiculous. We have survived the media "pandemics" of SARS, Bird Flue, etc. "swine" flu will be no different. All hype - absolutely no substance.

Forget football season, if this wasn't sweeps month for media, how big would the issue be?

I'm more than a little confused.

According to the CDC, each year approximately 36,000 lives are lost to whatever flu virus is circulating around the globe. Now we have a new version of the flu bug, one death occurs (which is still tragic), and schools shut down, school sports, news is blanketed and the world comes to a halt.

Is this what folks mean when the phrase "blown out of porportion" is used?

Sixteen confirmed cases of Swine Flu in the State of Texas. Governor declares an emergency and the UIL cancels all sporting events. What will happen when we have a serious crisis?

I dont get it... Kids sit alot closer to each other and have more contact in halls and in class than in a track meeet or lacrosse game... Why are they cancelling games and not class???? Or work??????

This is true over reaction...

WHO raises influenza epidemic level from 4 to 5

World Health Organizations reports 132 cases in 11 countries

How can this be called a pandemic? This is just another case of the media blowing things out of proportion. Its a shame that we have become extremists in our actions. We go from zero to 60 in one second now and dont wait to see what is really going on. This is just another "hype" event like sars, bird flu, global warming...

I actually think we need to suck it up and nip this in the bud right now, at the first outbreak. Everyone's all up in arms about over-reactions, but I will NOT put my young son at risk of contracting a disease that he has little or no natural immunity to.

A pandemic starts with one infected person, who then spreads it to others that they come into contact with prior to falling ill. The mere fact that this is not killing people rapidly, allows a greater number of people to fall ill.

Remember, people, we have no anti-viral for this disease, and antibiotics will do nothing.

I think we all need to revisit the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish Flu. Everyone thought "no big deal" to this one too. And this strain has similar properties in that it attacks the healthy immune systems and causes the system to overreact. That is why everyone is wigging out. Regular seasonal flu attacks the young and elderly with weak immune systems. Any comparison to regular seasonal flu is ignorant. This could be a problem if it is not controlled. They are just doing their job and controlling it. School closings will be next.

I agree with you completely Aaron. Let's see - for the most part, schools are open and continue to operate. School buildings are closed, contained environments with recycled central HVAC - pretty fair breeding ground to spread germs or viruses. Baseball games and track meets are held in the open air in wide open spaces, with the wind and elements - a very difficult environment for germs and viruses to spread from person to person. GEEE???!!!! That really makes sense - NOT!!!

The whole world is going crazy over this, and it still hasn't even reached the point of a bad year for the regular Influenza outbreak we have every winter.

I'm all for being cautious when it comes to everyone's health, but this is simply getting ridiculous - sounds a lot like the over-hyped scare of Y2K all over again.

I think the UIL is overreacting as well. Cancelling all athletic competitions is absolutely ridiculous. It affects mostly baseball, softball and track and those are outdoor sports. I could see if people were all crammed together at a volleyball or basketball game inside, the chances of catching a virus would be greater but at an outdoor event, that's pretty remote. If you, as a parent, are so afraid that your child might be in danger, don't let them compete.

If they were that concerned, schools would be closed down.

It is infinitely more likely that a student would get the virus in closed quarters at school than in an open environment of a track meet or baseball game.

This is a political, hollow gesture to "Cover One's ___"

BTW - I've seen a couple comments that there is no anti-viral for this swine flu. That is not accurate.

There is currently no preventative vaccine for this strain of the flu, but research is quickly underway to develop one.

Vaccines are different than anti-viral medicines. There are two anti-viral medicines that DO WORK for this flu - oseltamivir and zanamivir have proven to be effective.

Many of you are pointing to UIL and the sports - let's not forget that UIL also governs ACADEMIC competitions which are hosted in the close environments you all are discussing - all of those are in classrooms and auditoriums.

I am not saying that I agree with the UIL's decision, but I do find it ironic that none of this would be discussed if it did not affect sports. Had they postponed the academic competitions for two weeks, this blog would not be - and not only because it was on the sports page.

I do not think it is overblown. I have read several books on the 1918 Flu and it started out in the Spring as a relatively benign flu then came back and slammed the world with an estimated 20 millions deaths, 500, 000 in the US alone. We have an advantage over 1918 in that we know it is a virus (they thought it was bacteria). We should use our advanced scientific abilities and communication to jump on this quick.

Tanya, that's a good point. UIL does do a lot more... and that should be a part of their process -- to decide which events need to be canceled, not just say everything. That's part of why it's in overreaction in my book.
Thanks for writing.

I don’t think this is an overreaction by any means. There are parents who care more about what their kids do in sports than their health. And that of all the others around them. All it takes is one person t be sick and go to an event and then you have 100 more who are sick. If parents don’t have a problem sending their kids to school sick with regards to the child sitting next to them in class or at lunch. Then what makes you think that that same parent would give a damn if they sent their kid sick to a sports event. Hey while we are at it lets go to McDonalds, Wal-Mart, Target and even the park. People don’t think any more. You could go to Wal-Mart use a buggy being sick as hell and for all you know the next person to use that buggy could have a compromised immune system from cancer or like me whose system just doesn’t react to fight off an illness like it should. That’s why it is so dangerous. Because of the idiots that do think at all.

There are over 3000 in Mexico last I counted that is a lot more that 162.
Sorry had to spell check a little up set.

Eve, the super soccer mom: hook... line... sinker.

------------------------------------------------

EVE said:
WFAA Sports Office TAKE NOTE: LIFE is more precious than sports and it does exist without sports for a couple of weeks. SHAME ON YOU and GET OVER YOURSELF!

April 29, 2009 2:23 PM

Are you not watching the news or even looking at wfaa.com? Schools, daycares,and events planned for the weekend are being closed and cancled. Irving ISD, Ft Worth ISD, Cleburne ISD, Richardson ISD are closed or certian schools have been closed. Some untill May 11th. With students testing probable for the flu at the ft worth schools. Parents are send sick kids to school.

Cancelling school activities is totally ridiculous whether it be sporting events or closing the entire school.

Eve, get a life!!!

A handful of people in Texas has been diagnosed with this flu and that is it. Should we all stop what we're doing and lock ourselves in our homes? For those of you being overreactive, why don't you all just stay at home behind locked doors. You'd feel much safer I'm sure!!!

Jaime, you're spinning out of control. I would like to see some proof behind the notion that one person could show up to a UIL event and give the flu to 100 people. What a ridiculous thing to say!

When you have the flu, you feel bad and go home. You don't hang around, sneeze on everyone you see, and decide to stop off at McDonald's for a snack.

Please stop the hysteria, people.

DARYL....

I'm by no means overreactive... I am smart enough to know that there are people who dont care if they are sick even if it is the stomach flu swine flu or even the regular flu; they dont care if they get my 9 mtn old sick and in the hopsital they could care less if i have to bury my son because they dont have enough sence to stay home. Are you going to be there for the mother whos child you infect with any viruse and dont care enough to stay home and get better with out making others sick. When she has to bury her baby?
My guess is no not at all. If parents and adults in general would think before going out even clubbing while they are sick it wouldnt be an issue would it?
My guess is you are one of the ones who is helping spread the illness with stupidity. I am not going to stop my life because of a virius but i will do my best to protect my kids.

So what they cancelled a few games are you willing to bury your kids for a game?

Im not.

I dont think there are many who are.

Parents send their sick kids to school because the schools make their lives a living hell if their kid misses more than three days a year.

Employees frequently go to work sick because in this "right to work" state they can be fired and replaced for no reason, much less for illness.

My son (Lewisville ISD student) is a senior and has already lost one awards banquet to the knee jerk reaction of LISD canceling all off-home campus events through 5/11. Worse still, the seniors at Lewisville HS may lose their prom, which is scheduled for 5/9 at an off-campus location.

To me, the kids are far safer in a hotel ballroom that practices some level of hygiene than at the school campus where everyone shares food and drink and sneezes and coughs in a sealed classroom and doesn't wash their hands after using the restroom and where "hygiene" is a greeting.

The hysteria is ridiculous. If LISD is really concerned about this, they would close the schools and extend the school year. They will screw up the kids lives in the name of a small potential liability but not in the name of federal education funds.

I'm guessing the UIL did this because nobody would want to compete against athletes from a "flu" school.

Facing the possibility of statewide disruption, the UIL probably thought this was fairer.

They are being ridiculous. They are going to create total hysteria in people. Yes, it's the swine flu and we don't have immunities for it but look at the number of people, it's not warranted. It would definitely be different if it was football. I think too many areas are over reacting causing another area to over react. Let's realize that unless the state wants to shut down everything for 10 days.....then life goes on. Just urge those that have flu-like symptoms to stay home or go to the doctor.

I not only think UIL competition should not be held but all schools should close until they can be thoroughly disinfected and to see how many cases and how severe this virus will be. While I am crazy in love with sports, first and foremost priority is your child and protecting them. It is not worth it to go ahead and see what happens. Either we take this serious and take precautions or risk a lot more than UIL competition. How about NO more competition? I say halt the games. Last I heard on Austin news was a private school now has closed (4 yr old) due to positive case of flu. So guess it is in Austin now. It changes hour to hour.

While this is probably massive overreaction, the alternative is to continue with personal contact sports, and potentially spread a disease. Taking drastic action is the way to contain this kind of infection, and had the same been done in the case of HIV/AIDS, the problem we have now with it would never have happened.

WFAA Sports Office TAKE NOTE: Eve's an idiot.

You nailed it. This is CYA for administrators who fear getting sued. Plain and simple. The first commandment for school administrators is "thou shalt not endanger thine own job." The second commandment is "thou shalt not get sued." This combines them both.

Here is a copy of am email that i sent to a wfaa reporter today.....

My name is Jame. I just have a couple of concerns. Mainly being the fact that parents have gotten scared to keep thier kids home from school sick, due to the fear that they may end up in court facing fines or even jail time. In Joshua ISD if you keep your child home from school even 1 day without a doctors note or hospital note you can end up in court. If you are a parent you know as well as I do and all my friends who are parents that if you call the doctor because your child is puking from a stomach viruse that the doctor will tell you to keep your child home give plenty of fluids and rest. LET IT RUNS ITS COURSE. As with any viruse. That can take up to 5 days. In the mean time parents are sending their kids to school sick even with swine flu and infecting everyone around them. Not to mention that is it TASK Test time and parents know that if they keep their kids home they may not be able to make up the test. And superintendants, principals, and teachers are scratching their heads and wondering why every student in their school are sick. Ease up allow parents to keep their kids home from school when they are sick and it might not infect the whole school. DUH any person with any ounce of commen sence can figure that out. Maby a story should be done on the attendance rules and why parents feel they have to send their kids to school sick just to cover their a** and not risk having to pay fines or jail time.

Jamie

Parent

Friend of parents of Joshua ISD

As Far as I can tell it is a huge problem everywere

DARYL...and ne one else

a sneeze not covered
a cough not covered
a hand shake
a high five
a kiss on the forehead
simpily scratching of an ithcy nose

thats all it takes to spread a strong viruse
one simple contact with an infected person
thats all it takes for another person to get sick
then they spread it to their family, spouse and kids who then spred it to friends and so on do u get the point.

Does no one know about...
THE 1918 SWINE FLU OUT BREAK???

Same viruse.

No, Jamie, not the same virus. The same viral subtype. There's a difference.

Influenza virus A(H1N1) is endemic to humans, swine and birds. There are several strains. This is a new "mongrel" strain resulting from the combination of several existing strains.

Does any know how or why these illnesses spread so quickly through schools?

1. Schools throw a fit if your kids miss a day.
2. Parents risk fines and/or jail time for keeping sick kids home.
3. Parents are afraid to miss work because they have sick kidsand risk loss of a job.
4. Parents send sick kids to school/daycare.

There are a few confirmed cases
There are many more that are suspected
Numbers change hourly

Point is they are all viruses
antibiotics wont 'cure' or 'kill'
the antivirals help treat symptoms, weaken affect on you if taken in the first 48 hours
there is no vacciene (spelling no strongest subject)
to help stop the spreading of it

Im reading some of these comments. Do you guys have kids! Im now nervous sending my two year old to daycare. I do not believe they are overreacting. I do not want to see my son sick with any virus, especially one with no vaccine. If you have young kids I do think you should understand how fast germs travel. Its not that they are overreacting, they are just being cautious, and Im not racist but whats been on my mind is the travel from Mexico to Texas now. CRAZY!!!!

ashley
I dont think that these people have kids that are as young as we do i have a 5 yr old and a 9 mth old.

My 9 mth old had RSV this year when it was so bad now he still has problems with his lungs and as you said any virus is one that i dont want my kids to get. It would affect him more tham my 5 yr old because his lungs are scared from RSV.

Anyone watching Channel 11 tonight?
Ft Worth ISD just closed all schools till May 8th.
Confirmed case of swine flu in a student.
As was said earlier changes by the hour.

This was well before this outbreak--BUT...
We got a phone call earlier in the season from my sons school saying "if your child is sick, keep them home." So, my kid got bronchitis and was out for a week. Then I got a call from the school saying that his work was suffering because he wasn't at school. So, what should you do? Keep them home? Or send them so they don't fall behind?

Jamie, same "viruse"? I thought the hysteria was that this is a new improved version.

I cannot believe this is a question. Is sports and work more inportant then the health of your children. Where is the common since here?? The Flu can be transmited with out signs even showing! That means that a sick kid can give it to your healthy kid and they can give it to a smaller child with out any symptoms! I have and 8yr old a 2 yr old and twin 4week premie twins. So your sports teen agers sneezes on his little brother gives it to my 8year old and my 8yr old comes home and gives that to my twins! Do I need to tell you what that would do or are you all so dumb you cannot see that. Is your game more important then my babie?? Or any one elses child for that matter. How disterbing if you feel that way. That we cannot say stop and get this under control before we endanger our children! And God knows if they DIDnt react and it got worse then you would all be angry that no one did anything.

Brindle,
No one is saying your children have to go to any of these events.
But what you are saying is that everything should be shutdown. Because having a track meet is no different than the students going to school or a parent going to work.
That's the point. Canceling the competitions -- and it's not just sports, but also scholastic events and band, etc. -- really isn't going to change much, especially when it's treated with such a wide treatment, even though of this writing there are still just 17 confirmed cases in the state.
If there is a real threat, then by all means take action, but just getting hysterical and making rash decisions does not help the matter.
Thanks for writing.

This is ridiculous, people use some common sense, wash your hands, don't eat or drink after anyone, cover your mouth & nose when you cough or sneeze - don't shake hands ----- you will survive this nonsense! As was mentioned earlier this evening this has been around before and will probably come along again in several years!!!!!

MASS HYSTERIA will be when precautions were not taken when they could have been!!!! This FLU like any FLU has the potential to spread.

I had recently traveled to Mexico, on the dates of the first out break. Being a responsible business owner. I closed my business until it was confirmed that I did not have the FLU!!!

I don't think CAUTION should literally be thrown into the wind!!!!! I do think people should stay home and not be in large groups. We have an opportunity to pay attention and lower the possible numbers of infecting more people!!!

Isn't this really the BIG issue here. No sports, or any UIL competition or any other school function would be worth losing anyone over.

If this FLU spreads rapidly, YOU will see a lot more venues closed!! Take note in the fact that we have the media and the internet to help, not hinder these type of situations. Hopefully ENOUGH people take this serious and we can curb this before it gets out of control.

Don't y'all get it......this is Obama's and his crew (media and Democrats) causing hysteria so he can push for his "health plan" to pass!!! It is all politics, baby!! Open your eyes people and see the "real problem".

So the students of Texas suffer in athletics and academics.

And another note......schools are closing right in the middel of TAKS testing -- how convinent just before the "science" test. FWISD is staying closed for a week. Their poorest scores are in math and science. They will probably ask for "forgiveness" since the children couldn't take the test. They have several schools on the chopping block this year. This incident might buy them another year. I think we might have some clever superindentent's running education in Texas.

I do agree a bit with all of you, but you have to remember that there are only THREE confirmed cases in Texas. ONLY THREE, all the others are "probable" cases and most of them have not been hospitalized and if they are in the hospital, its for other reasons than "Swine Flu"

I am immunodeficient because I had a double lung transplant in 2007. The anti rejection medication (Cellcept, Prograf, Rapamune) lower the immune system so that I do not reject my new lungs. That is one reason whey I chose to where a medical mask going to the store today.

Yes, it may be a small percentage of people in Texas that are probable, but there are also people in California, New York, Indiana, Ohio and Kansas. There are also probable cases across the world as well, United Kingdom, Germany and Egypt (that I know of).

Stress on the body, like the stress of doing athletic activities, can also make the body susceptible to infection. So as I do feel for those people affected by the UIL's decision, I do not feel that it is overkill. It's always "hindsight is 20/20" when something bad happens. If they had only done this before hand, then when some agency takes action, THIS BLOG HAPPENS.

Take a chill pill, read the news, deal with the problems that arise and go on about your life. You might actually thank those that take action at a time like this.

Wanna bash me, go ahead, I will not be answering you.
Bash away.

That is absolutely hilarious. I feel the same as my first post. Get over yourself already.

What precedent have we now set? When the flu season comes around each year do we close all of the schools and cancel all extra curricular activities? What viruses or bacterias are considered severe enough to cancel public gatherings?

Will you are not thinking properly. Under this logic we should cancel everything permanently. People get sick, they die. It IS all about the numbers. If I told you going to the grocery store there was a 20% chance you would die from a car crash you would not go. Yet you go all the time- not because the same risk is absent, but because it is minimal. Every day we ealuate risk and act accordingly. All of this is nonsense caused by media hype to over state the risk to you and your family.

Jamie (and others): When you try to turn this into a "we vs they" type thing, you're missing the whole point of the blog.

It's disingenuous to imply that those who think the UIL is overreacting are somehow putting sports before kids. In fact, it's completely illogical.

The people I know with young kids are keeping them out of daycare. Duh. And they do the same during any other flu outbreak.

The Rangers didn't play last night, but that was weather-related. If this is so dangerous, what about those crowded locker rooms? Lots of them have young kids, no?

We've become a culture that responds to fear, and the only question that matters is who is generating the fear, and why?

That should have been fever free without not with "tylenol, motrin, etc.".

That should be fever free WITHOUT not with(with "tylenol, motrin, etc.".

That should be fever free WITHOUT not with(with "tylenol, motrin, etc.".

De said:
My original statement did not post.
I am for the closings and wish they would close the schools. I follow the school policy and do not send my children to school till they are 24 hours fever free (without "tylenol, motrin, etc.". There are many that do not and reinfect the other children. And this is being transmitted in healthy children.
We have closed schools in recent years during cold and flu season to sanitize. This time they are closeing a little longer and hopefully that will help any that have been infected and not showing symptoms yet to get over.
For anyone that says just wash your hands, we tell are children that all the time and the teachers even keep sanitizer in the rooms. There are still some children and believe it or not adults that do not wash.
As for those that are concerned about school penalties, I have been there. I get a Dr's note for every absence and and have learned not to send my child back if they are fever free and still do not have their energy back. If they have a relapse it counts as 2 instance not just one. If you can show you had just cause for keeping your child home they generally make considerations. As for making up class work you should be able to work with the counselor.
For those that "cannot afford to go to the Dr."
I do not have insurance and I am not well to do, but I have found a Dr. that works with me in the best interest of the child..

Ok, yea it does seem like the are going overboard but what if they let it go and someone's child dies b/c the got it at a sporting event. Then everyone at that event is at risk. That's why it spead so fast in Mexico. There are allot of people close together there. If they would not have done anything and someone got it at a event there would have been outrage over that. It just makes since to just postpone everything for a little while. There will always be someone who doesn't agree with something. I just feel bad for the parents. Worried and like allot I know of stuck. They cannot afford to take off work in this economy yet they have to. But again, it could be allot worse if they don't do what they are doing. Just my opinion.

Bottom line is this in my opinion

Does no one realize that there is an incubation of up to 7 days if not longer?
During that time you can be infected with the flu and passing it to others and be feeling/showing no signs or symptoms at all.

In cleburne it is 4 probable cases of the flu...we have no idea who those four are for all we know they could have siblings in the middle school as well as the elementary school. There it passes along to another. Parents could have already passed at work due to the incubation period.

How many kids do you know that with any doubt wash their hands for one whole minute scrubbing the tops of hands in between fingers under the nails or disinfect hands every time they sneeze, cough, or even touch their face.. Before touching an item that is shared in a classroom, playground, or daycare such as a crayon, block, pencile, even the tissue box?

I have a five year old and i can not say with out a doubt in my mind that that is the case. you dont have to have direct contact with a sick person all you have to do is touch a commen item and you are then at risk of getting sick.

Unless you are scrubbing your hands like what is required before a surgen goes into an opperating room or if you go into an NICU chances are that you havent gotten all of the germs off of you hands and can still pass something.

Even if you are not showing symptoms.

I believe these ‘Preemptive Measures' are needed.
The last pandemic, 41 years ago, killed 1 million people and was mild compared with the global outbreak of 1918, which may have killed as many as 50 million. My Mother keeps remembering the 1968 pandemic that killed so many.

A pandemic is an unexpected outbreak of a new contagious disease that spreads from person to person across multiple borders. In such cases, almost no one has natural immunity.

The less developed the country the harder it will be hit. Because we are a more developed country we should not be affected as much, but could still have a high mortality rate. Espescially if we do not take precuations. We were at a level 5 for the avian flu. Don't you think some of the preventative measures helped minimize it here.