NEWPORT, Maine — Approximately 200 Nokomis Regional High School students were sick from school Monday and Tuesday, most of them likely suffering from H1N1 flu, according to Principal Mary Nadeau.
Nadeau said many Nokomis students already suffered from the regular seasonal maladies such as strep throat and colds, so adding the H1N1 outbreak has been especially difficult.
“It’s a bad combination of health issues going on right now,” Nadeau said Tuesday. “We also had eight or 10 teachers out today.”
Nadeau’s estimate of 200 absent students represents more than 25 percent of the 750 students at Nokomis. Dr. Dora Anne Mills, Maine’s public health director, said schools throughout Maine have reported absentee rates of up to 42 percent, including 15 schools reporting absentee rates of more than 15 percent for the first time on Tuesday alone. The bad news is that the epidemic will worsen before it improves.
“It does appear to be early in the surge, not late,” said Mills. “We can expect that this surge will continue to expand and possibly worsen.”
Mills said the state has a limited supply of H1N1 vaccine — enough to cover about one of every seven Mainers in a “high priority” group. Those people include the young, the pregnant, the elderly, and people with underlying health conditions. With so few doses available, Mills said, young people and pregnant women are being targeted.
When H1N1 grips a school, the greater community is usually soon to follow, said Mills.
“Schoolchildren are sort of like kindling for the fire,” said Mills. “It spreads very quickly in a school setting and those kids are all taking the virus home. It doesn’t mean a community is done with it if they’ve had a week of high absentee rates [in schools]. It’s just the beginning.”
Mills recommended that anyone suffering flulike symptoms call a health care provider and possibly take a prescription anti-viral medication such as Tamiflu.
“If people don’t have the money or have no insurance, the state has a stockpile that is available to them,” said Mills, who said patients can acquire those doses through health care providers.
Nokomis Principal Nadeau said the school department is doing its best on the education side of the equation, reminding teachers and students to cough into their sleeves, wash their hands frequently and, most importantly, stay home if they don’t feel well or have a fever of more than 100 degrees.
“The phone has been ringing steadily,” said Nadeau. “You get a little bit of mass hysteria in a situation like this, but the parents have done a great job communicating with us.”
Nadeau said she worries about all the people at home suffering.
“I wouldn’t wish this on anybody, but it is what it is,” she said.
Mills said the best prevention is to keep repeating the rules of respiratory hygiene: Wash your hands, cough and sneeze into your sleeve, stay home if you’re sick.
“Remind others to do it, too,” she said. “Offer them a tissue or some kind hint.”
