WTHR |Hamilton County prepares for flu season

Hamilton County prepares for flu season

Noblesville - Plans are underway for the Hamilton County Health Department to meet with local leaders to prepare for the upcoming flu season and a vaccination program. The move comes as a student tested positive for Type A influenza at a Noblesville school.

According to Noblesville school officials, a Forest Hill Elementary school student tested positive for Type A influenza. The word came to parents through a school letter stating that the student's doctor said that the child had a probable case of H1N1. The diagnosis was made over the weekend and the student hasn't returned to school, where staff said the building had been sanitized to prevent other children from becoming ill.

"Whether it be the flu or whooping cough or any other illness, we're taking the same precautionary measures that we'd always take," said Mark Booth, director of student services.

School officials say that if the student tests positive, it would be the district's first case of H1N1.

The likely newest case comes just days before Hamilton County health officials lay out a strategy for H1N1 infections during the upcoming flu season.

Those plans will likely include setting up vaccination sites. Four people in Indiana have died from the virus since April. According to the Indiana State Health Department, 98 percent of the flu cases this time or year are likely H1N1. Hamilton County health officials are planning for the upcoming flu season.

"We know it's coming back in the fall. What can we do to make sure as an organization, that the people who count on us are served well," said Tony Benge, Hamilton County Health Department.

While this latest probable case in Noblesville is concerning to parents, measures like handwashing and staying home when ill is what health officials are hoping will help prevent a spread of the virus.

"Do you pull your kids, not give them the education, or do you take the necessary measure that need to be taken?" wondered CJ Irvin, parent.

Schools across the state are urging parents not to send their children to school if they have symptoms and they must be symptom-free for 24 hours before returning.

Recommendations for parents:

Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100° F), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.

Keep your child at home for at least two days and make sure they are fever free without medication.

Don't send children to school if they are having any flu like symptoms. Any children who are sick at school will be sent home. Staying home allows them the rest they need to get well.

The Indiana State Department of Health has confirmed 314 cases of H1N1 in Indiana as of last Monday. Thousands more are suspected.

There have been four deaths in the state linked to the flu outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control predicts as many as 90,000 Americans could die as the outbreak gets worse this fall. That's nearly three times the number of annual deaths from seasonal flu.

Vaccine info

Marion County is offering several seasonal flu vaccine clinics.

However, the seasonal flu vaccine won't provide protection against H1N1 because H1N1 is a new flu strain. You will have to get a separate shot for H1N1, but vaccines are not yet available. Local health agencies are working with state and federal health departments to obtain the vaccine when it becomes available.

The following five groups have been identified by the CDC as the primary focus groups for the vaccine:

1. pregnant women
2. people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months old
3. healthcare and emergency medical services personnel
4. persons between the ages of 6 months through 24 years
5. people ages 25 through 64 years who are at higher risk for novel H1N1 because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.

Learn more about H1N1