• BY J.R. ORTEGA - JORTEGA@VICAD.COM
• Originally published October 13, 2009 at 6:12 p.m., updated October 14, 2009 at 9:40 a.m.

• FOR THE LATEST

  For H1N1 vaccination availability, keep in contact with your general practitioner.

  VISD wants sick students to say home

  The Victoria school district is taking precautions on students with flu-like symptoms. Students with a fever of 100.4 ...

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FOR THE LATEST

For H1N1 vaccination availability, keep in contact with your general practitioner.

VISD wants sick students to say home

The Victoria school district is taking precautions on students with flu-like symptoms. Students with a fever of 100.4 or higher are encouraged to stay home to avoid the spread, said Diane Boyett, district communications specialist.

Some Victoria schools have seen a higher number of absences due to the flu this year compared to last year, Boyett said.

For example, as of Oct. 9, Crain Middle School has had 67 students absent this year, compared to 34 students out Oct. 10, 2008, Boyett said. However, on Sept. 9, Howell had 81 students out at the same time Crain had fewer than 40 out.

At Memorial High School, 10.57 percent of students were out last year, compared to 10.04 percent this year, Boyett said.

"What this information may be telling us is that the H1N1 virus is fairly widespread throughout the community and moves in and out of specific areas fairly quickly," Boyett said. "We know this is going to be a long-term flu season as the normal seasonal flu is just now coming into play."

Administrators, teachers, and staff are encouraged to use frequent hand hygiene, such as covering their mouth when coughing or sneezing.

If students have flu-like symptoms at school, such as a flushed face, chills, body aches, or a high fever, they will be sent home, said Gloria Wearden, Victoria school district health services coordinator.

The Victoria County Health Department and many doctors offices in the Crossroads have yet to see the first doses of the H1N1 vaccination trickle in.

Last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported that 142,400 doses were designated for Texas in the first weekly allocation, according to a news release.

However, doctors offices like Texas Health Center in Victoria, which have pre-registered for the vaccine, have yet to see or hear of its arrival, said Lydia Martinez, head nurse.

"We expect those doses any day," she said.

The vaccinations, which will be FluMist, a nasal spray form of the vaccine, will be used to vaccinate priority groups, Martinez said.

Two and 3-year-olds are part of the priority group.

"You might sign up for 2,500 (doses) and 50 will be in the first shipment," she said.

The number of doses disseminated throughout the state will increase after most of the priority groups have been vaccinated.

A specific availability date for any H1N1 vaccine arrival will not be available because the shipment is not up to the county health department or doctors offices that pre-registered for the vaccine, said Bain Cate, Victoria City-County director.

"The Department of State Health Services has full control over the distribution of Novel H1N1 Influenza Vaccine," he said in an e-mail.

The state health department is working with local area health care providers directly, rather than through the county health departments, Cate added.

Novel H1N1 Influenza is still prevalent in the South Texas and Crossroads area, with the peak number of cases between Sept. 26 to Oct. 2 and a steady decline last week, Cate said.

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