Schools prep to help stop flu spread

ROCKFORD, Mich. (WOOD) - When the bell rings and the doors swing open next Monday, more than 1800 students will flood the halls of Rockford High School.

On Thursday, school officials were sanitizing hard surfaces, cleaning the carpets and changing the air filters in an annual effort to keep students and staff healthy as the flu season continues.

"You don't know if (the flu germs are) coming back with the kids or if it was there when they left," said Jim Vander Kolk, the Rockford schools director of operations. "You just have to assume that it's necessary overtime."

School officials sanitize and scrub every year at this time. But the number of reported flu cases in Kent County makes the effort more important this year.

There were 242 confirmed cases of influenza at Kent County hospitals between September and December 2012. There were only six confirmed cases during that same time period in 2011.

The 2012 figure reflects only confirmed cases, but Kent County Health Department spokeswoman Lisa LaPlante said there have been 17,000 reports of flu-like symptoms since September, and it's likely even more people have simply sought over-the-counter treatment.

The spike in reported flu cases comes just as students return from their holiday break.

In Grand Rapids, school officials hope their efforts before the holiday will help keep their students and staff healthy. About 400 GRPS students took advantage of flu shots offered by the district and their health partners this year.

"(The flu) is out there. It's at the grocery store. It's at the mall. It's at your church, the daycare. It's everywhere," Stephanie Painter, the GRPS Director of School Health Programs, told 24 Hour News 8. "We teach our kids to cough into your sleeve and we're teaching them good handwashing techniques through our health ed programming."

The best way to keep the flu from spreading is to keep sick kids at home. That's where schools need help.

"We can do our part," Vander Kolk said, "but we also need (parents) to recognize when their kids are sick."

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It may take about two weeks for the vaccine to become effective, according to the health department.

The Kent County Health Department offers vaccine injections for $25 and nasal mist for $32. Those wishing to make an appointment should call 616.632.7200.

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Online:

Kent County Health Department flu information and prevention tips

Michigan Department of Community Health flu information and prevention tips

Centers for Disease Control - the flu

GRPS Health Services