St. Tammany Parish Public Schools are continuing to use universal precautions in order to prevent the spread of all types of infections, including the H1N1 virus and the flu virus. Dr. Parham Jaberi, MD, medical director for Department of Health and Hospitals (Office of Public Health Region 9) told the School Board Thursday night that the H1N1 virus, commonly called Swine Flu, has proven to be fairly mild for most normally healthy people.

He gave an overview of the Swine Flu situation, how it is affecting schools statewide, and precautions parents and educators can take to prevent the spread of infection. “The concern is out there,” he said, referring to an Open House meeting he attended at Tchefuncte Middle School the night before. “There were over 1000 people present, and we were able to assure them that the swine flu is similar to regular season flu, somewhat milder, and requires the same precautions and methods of treatment.”

Dr. Jaberi has been closely monitoring the situation and staying in contact with School Officials for the past few weeks, and he told the Board that the community can be sure that the Office of Public Health and the School System is doing everything they can do. “We are on the right track,” he stated, noting that carefully monitoring of the situation will continue as the regular flu season approaches.

A video featuring Dr. Jaberi's remarks at the School Board meeting is available for viewing by clicking here. (Quicktime Movie Player needed to play video.)

School Board member Donald VIllere thanked Dr. Jaberi for his update, and especially for his attendance at the Tchefuncte Middle Open House. “It helped our parents to hear his view of the situation. We don’t want to overreact,” VIllere commented.

Superintendent Gayle Sloan told the Board about the week’s higher than normal absences, believed to be caused in part by parents keeping their children home because of the concern over swine flu. She explained how the high level of concern over swine flu in the Spring has eased somewhat as more information about the disease has been brought out. “Since we now know that Swine Flu is actually milder than originally thought, we wanted to get good information out to the parents so they can take the proper precautions,” she stated, “and make sure we are all on the same page about what is being done and what we need to do.” Superintendent Sloan will continue to follow the directions of the Office of Public Health as the season progresses and more information is gathered about the flu situation in general.

School nurses have been instructing students on the proper way to wash their hands and cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough. Special supplies have been brought in to enhance the current cleaning efforts by school custodial staff members.

Little was known about the H1N1 virus when it first emerged in the spring, or how seriously it could affect people's health, so medical workers and school officials were encouraged to proceed with an overabundance of caution, resulting in several school closures throughout Louisiana and the nation. The CDC is no longer encouraging the closure of schools due to cases of Swine Flu. If a child has a fever, medical experts are recommending the child remain out of school for 24 hours after the fever and major symptoms are gone.

A video interview with Dr. Jaberi and Superintendent Gayle Sloan is available online by clicking here.

Superintendent Sloan sent a letter to parents home with students Thursday giving additional details. An online version of this letter is available by clicking here.

Dr. Jaberi serves as the public health medical official for the region, which encompasses Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington Parishes. He is responsible for addressing any disease and health-related concerns that arise in this area and coordinating the response with the state health officer, state epidemiologist and other OPH officials.

For more information about swine flu symptoms, click here.

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