Six students at Morris Central School tested positive for "swine flu" on Wednesday, school and health officials said Thursday.
The cases are mild, and the students are back in school or home recovering, officials said.
Notices were sent home to parents on Thursday that a cluster of six students were identified, said Morris Principal Leone Schermerhorn.
The students' names were not provided for confidentiality reasons, a school official said.
Several people were contacted about the school's response, and most said they approved of the way the situation was handled.
There was a staff meeting held Wednesday after the news was received from the Otsego County health department, said Schermerhorn.
She knew of no trips by any students outside the area where they may have contracted the illness.
Because the H1N1 influenza is relatively mild, the health department said that there was no reason to close the school or alter activities, Schermerhorn said.
She said custodial staff will continue to disinfect surfaces where the flu could spread, such as desks and telephones.
"It is important to remember that novel H1N1 influenza does not appear to be any more severe than seasonal flu and the good hygiene practices are the best defense against this and other communicable diseases," according to the letter sent to parents.
Varied reactions from
parents, student
A parent who asked not to be identified said the school was handling the situation properly.
Were the situation more serious, she said, the school would be closed.
Another parent who also asked not to be identified lives in Morris. She said she has a 4-year-old daughter with asthma who has relatives in the school.
She attended a concert there Wednesday and said she was upset that more was not done earlier to alert the public.
If she knew about the cases, she would not have taken her daughter to the event, the second parent said.
Morris Superintendent Michael Virgil said that the school took action as quickly as possible.
He said it would have been irresponsible to have proceeded without all the information, which was not received until Wednesday night.
Morris senior Matt Conroe said he did not know anyone affected, and the administration did a good job.
"The situation is under control," he said.
County public health communicable disease coordinator Theresa Oellrich said the department was alerted to the possibility of H1N1 flu at Morris by the school nurse last Friday.
The nurse noticed there was an increase in illnesses.
The students were tested that day, and samples were sent to the state Department of Health lab in Wadsworth because there appeared to be an outbreak, Oellrich said.
She said she was not surprised because after the first case discovered in the county in late May, "we knew it was in the county."
Other area counties struck
The first case of swine flu was reported in Delaware County on Thursday _ a student who attends school in Sullivan County, according to the Delaware County Public Health Nursing Service.
And to the west, Chenango County has had three cases, according to the state Department of Health website.
Schoharie County has not had confirmed cases of swine flu.
It typically takes one-to-four days after exposure to contract symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, chills and vomiting, Oellrich said. But it can take up to seven days for the symptoms to appear.
People with chronic illnesses such as asthma are more at risk, she said. People who have H1N1 flu should stay home for seven days, or 24 hours after symptoms are gone, whichever is longest.
Because of its mild nature, Oellrich said, this flu is being treated like any other seasonal flu, though it is another reminder to people to not "let your guard down" in continuing good infection-control procedures.
According to the Department of Health, these procedures include:
ä Washing hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing and sneezing;
ä Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective;
ä Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, as they are portals of entry for bacteria and viruses;
ä Avoid close contact with sick people;
ä Keep students who are sick at home.
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