Superintendent Randy Dorn’s statement on swine flu
Posted Apr 30, 2:15 PM

The first suspected cases of swine flu might have entered Washington state. One case involves a school-age child who attends Madrona K-8 in the Seattle School District.

Because of this, the school has closed as a precaution through Wednesday, May 6.

The decision to close the school was made jointly by the Seattle Public Schools and Seattle/King County Public Health, and required weighing many factors. In the end, the most important was safety. Closing Madrona may help stop the possible spreading of the flu.

While this is a time to prepare, it’s not time to panic. In 2005, when “bird flu” concerns emerged, the Department of Health , OSPI, and other state and local agencies created a multi-step plan to deal with a possible pandemic. We are working constantly with the State Department of Health and local public health offices to make sure schools have the most current information possible so they can make informed decisions that benefit both the educational needs of our students as well as the health needs of our citizens.

Also, please remember that it’s allergy season in Washington, meaning sniffles, sinus headaches and stuffy noses are common. Swine flu is much more severe. And with any flu, the Department of Health recommends the following precautions:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you get sick, stay home and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

If you have any more questions, please see our swine flu Web page. There you will find links to the Centers for Disease Control and our Department of Health, as well as health tips in many languages.

We will provide more information as soon as we get it.