NH: Schools Prepare For Potential Swine Flu

11:59 pm EDT April 29, 2009

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- School administrators throughout New Hampshire are working overtime as students are away on vacation this week and could possibly return with the swine flu virus.

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State education officials are asking kids who recently traveled to areas where confirmed swine flu cases have been reported to check in daily with their school nurse, WMUR News 9's Adam Sexton reported.

New Hampshire has yet to document a confirmed case of the swine flu, which has spread to Massachusetts and Maine, but it still concerns parents.

Erin Dailey's 6-year-old son fell ill after a classmate came home from Mexico feeling sick.

"We brought him in, and they tested him," she said.

Dailey didn't want to take any chances after seeing everyone in flu-afflicted areas wearing masks and taking precautions.

"My son has been sick plenty of times. The fever gets over 101 (degrees), then you start to call, but with this whole scare going, I didn't want it to get that far. I didn't want it to get to that point and wait that long," she said.

The Oyster River Cooperative School District in Durham is among the first in the state to reach out to parents with a letter outlining swine flu strategy.

"We've been getting messages from New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services on the issue. So, just as a result of that and a lot of the talk in the community, we decided to put the information out," said Blaine Cox, the district's business administrator.

The district said, for now, there's no cause for alarm, but if the virus becomes prevalent, schools may close.

"They're on top of things, and it's nice to know they're ready if anything does happen," said John Miller, a parent.

The state has also issued its own guidelines, which include:

* If you or your child are recently returning from a location where swine flu cases are confirmed, monitor for symptoms for seven days.
* If you or your child is sick, stay home.
* If you have kids, and anyone in your family shows flu symptoms, make sure to notify the nurse at your child's school.

When kids return to school, the state is asking districts to emphasize a few more points about hand-washing and proper hygiene.