Swine Flu Crisis: More Than 100 US Schools Now Closed

on April 30, 2009 at 7:02 AM

The Department of Education says that at least 74 schools have closed across the country because of confirmed or probable cases of swine flu and 30 more have closed as a precautionary measure, reports CNN.

Now there is news of an entire school district closing--the Fort Worth Independent School District in Texas said it will temporarily close all of its schools until further notice, according to its website.

But to put all of this in a larger perspective, the DOE reminds people that the closures of public and private schools across eight states only affect about 56,000 students out of an estimated 55 million students across the country. Still a relatively low number.

That fact does little to calm the fears of CafeMom LoveMyMonkies who actually thinks her children may have the swine flu, or pen who tells me she has voluntarily kept her kids home for three days. Clearly mothers are growing more anxious by the day.

What about you? How are you handling your swine flu concerns? Has your child's school sent home any related notifications? Have there been school closures in your area? Have you kept your kids home voluntarily?

Filed Under: education, health

Comments (7)

mom2queenie2004

on Apr 30, 2009 at 9:08 AM

I think everyone is getting a little paranoid.

Report this comment

CoolMommyofboys

on Apr 30, 2009 at 9:35 AM

I am in the DFW (Texas) area...my son is home today- I am keeping him here all next week also. Only one elementary (not his- he goes to a private preschool) is closed in our district- I'm just not taking any chances.

LilliesNOrchids

on Apr 30, 2009 at 9:52 AM

Better safe than sorry. If you go the The WHO's website (Worlds Health, like the UN of Health for the World) than theres a chart for the US that shows a plan that we already hadjust in case for a situatuion like this. A US political health spokesman said that after creating the possibilities from the Swine Flu, it could be 2 mill dead from our pop in the US alone. Just like SARS hit in Asia, only left up to 800 dead, but more deadly is the situation we are deaing with here. Also because the lack of responsibility of people not going to the hospital and writing it off as a cold and thinking it could never happen to them.

M0mmy0f5

on Apr 30, 2009 at 10:41 AM

I 2nd that " Better to be safe than sorry" the fact is that we are in 2009....where new virus are possible.....why not be paranoid...hell i rather be paranoid and take EVERY pre-caution possible...than to be sorry and crying later....

tyheamma

on Apr 30, 2009 at 10:58 AM

We plan to homeschool, so it's a non-issue really. If my kids are sick, they won't have to do more school work than they are able to do; if they aren't, they'll work.

Kinda convenient, really.

twistedchik1153

on Apr 30, 2009 at 11:05 AM

The strains in the US are confirmed mild compared to that in Mexico; people are healing from it. Only confirmed deaths in my city (Houston, TX) both came from Mexico City. I've sent my middle daughter to school but made sure she's up to par on precautions, my oldest and youngest are home. Oldest's school was damaged due to a recent storm, youngest too young. All know about washing hands and such.

In the case of, I hope Astra Zeneka and Merck are working on a vaccination.

Hellmom

on Apr 30, 2009 at 12:42 PM

I live close to one of the areas that have schools closed, in fact we go shopping in that area, so yes, I am VERY concerned about the Swine Flu outbreak.

I clean and sanitize around my house everyday, wash my hands very often, my kids' hands ( they are little ) and use hand sanitizer, haven't taken my kids out and about since Sunday, and will try to keep it that way, and keep them away from Big Crowds ( hubby is only going to work, and do the shopping, that's it ).

I was sick with Flu a couple of weeks ago, but I do not think it was the Swine Flu, I get the flu pretty bad all the time, and sometimes combined with my allergies.