We have been advised by the Burlington County Board of Health of two confirmed cases of H1N1 Virus, or swine flu, involving Mount Laurel School students. Both students have been absent from school throughout the past week and have been deemed "beyond the communicable stage" by county health officials.
The students' conditions have been monitored closely by county and state health agencies since their diagnosis with possible H1N1 Virus following a trip to Mexico. Samples tested by the National Center for Disease Control confirmed the diagnosis today. The students attend the Harrington Middle and Springville Elementary Schools.
While I understand that confirmation of these cases in our area is unsettling, it is important that we avail ourselves of accurate information in looking at the possible impact upon our schools and our families.
Robert Gogats, Public Health Coordinator for the Burlington County Board of Health, has advised us that both of the students in question carry no risk of contagion to others, and have recovered fully. Throughout this week, while neither of the students was present in our schools, we have heightened our maintenance efforts to include nightly sanitizing of all common areas within our buildings.
County and state health officials have assured us that there is no greater risk of exposure to our students and staff because of these confirmed cases than there is to the public at large. For that reason, we are being advised to continue all of those efforts being recommended to all citizens at this time, namely diligence in hand-washing, covering coughs and sneezes, staying at home if you feel ill and monitoring reliable health sources for current information. We have provided links on our district website at www.mtlaurelschools.org.
Please know that we will continue to work very closely with county, state and national health officials as we move forward. Should you have questions or concerns, please contact your school principal or our district offices. What we do not know, we will surely investigate on behalf of our school community. The health of our students and staff is paramount to us.
Sincerely,
Antoinette Rath, Ed. D.
|
