By Dennis Brown

With the H1N1 swine flu making it rounds, and targeting those age 25 and under, the Lewis County School District has been making preparations in case the virus should work its way here.

Nick Adams, Director of District Services for Lewis County Schools, said all staff members have been briefed concerning the virus and procedures are in place should an outbreak of the virus happen here.

“We feel we are as prepared as we can be,” Adams said. “There are nurses at each of the schools who have been trained to recognize and treat such situations and we have a response matrix in place with step-by-step procedures to follow should the pandemic hit here.”

Adams said the school district has been working with local and area health officials and extra steps are being taken at the school and student levels to educate the students and parents about the virus.

Lisa Liles, the school nurse at Lewis County High School addressed members of the Board of Education last month about the H1N1 virus and reviewed some of the steps being taken to diagnose the strain of flu virus and how to address it.

Liles, who has been a school nurse for the past 15 years, said the school nursing program in the district has the best coverage and overall preparedness it has ever had. The district recently added nurses to cover each school in the district and has adequately equipped nursing areas at each school.

Liles said she recently attended a pandemic flu summit and learned that officials have determined that the upcoming flu season is potentially serious with the H1N1 swine flu as well as the regular flu expected.

Liles suggested that routine flu vaccinations be stepped up so the H1N1 strain can be more easily diagnosed and treated early. Vaccinations for the H1N1 strain are being tested and will soon be available and should be taken in addition to the standard annual flu vaccination.

She said the H1N1 virus attacks school-age children at a higher rate than the other strains of flu which tend to strike the elderly and young children more frequently.

“We are taking this very seriously and are working to educate students, teachers and parents on swine flu,” she told board members.

In a letter to school superintendents across the state, Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Noland stated the H1N1 virus takes its heavies toll in children and young adults, while seasonal flu usually strikes the elderly hardest.

Noland said health officials are concerned that the virus may mutate and become more virulent as it spreads through the population and could impact up to 40 percent of the US population, possible resulting in long closures of schools and workplaces.

The Kentucky Department of Public Health has received $3.6 million to disperse to local health departments for supplies, training and staffing for the vaccination campaign. Another $1.2 million has been distributed to hospitals across the Commonwealth to help prepare for a surge in patients.

An additional $2 million grant has been awarded to the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville to help with community preparedness.

Guidelines recommend basic good hygiene, such as handwashing, as an effective way to keep the virus at bay. Any students or staff members should stay home at least 24 hours after symptoms of the flu have ended.

Some of the signs of H1N1 flu include a sudden onset of illness, fever higher than 100 degrees, chills, cough, headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, muscle aches, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fatigue. A symptom more common in children is exhaustion.

It is recommended that students and school staff stay home when they have any of the symptoms. The symptoms may last for up to seven days.

If you are exposed to the H1N1 virus and are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading the illness on to others. If you have any of the symptoms you should talk with a health care provider by phone. The health care provider will determine whether testing or treatment is needed.

Several links to information about the H1N1 virus have been posted on the Lewis County Schools website at www.lewis.kyschools.us.

Lewis County Schools Procedure for Wellness lists several steps being taken by school personnel to lessen the risk for students:

*Regular cleaning schedule for the restrooms throughout the day.

*Use of disinfectants on door handles, water fountains and other surfaces throughout day.

*Reviewing health information with all staff.

*Stress importance of hand-washing by students and staff (and check to see that it is done).

* Remind students that they should scrub their hands long enough to be able to say their ABCs. They should be sure to wash, rinse and dry thoroughly.

*Ensure that soap and towels are available at all times.

*Utilize FRYSC for support.

*Purchase Clorox wipes for teachers to use in their classrooms.

*Provide each teacher with cleaning solution for desks.

*Utilize hand sanitizer in classrooms.

*Utilize Kleenex program through Primary Care/Lori McCane (Elementary schools).

*Provide students with tissues.

*Review with students proper way to cover when coughing (in elbow, not hands).

*Review procedures with staff periodically.

The Vanceburg Electric Plant Board met in regular session last week and approved Caudill and Associates, CPAs, to perform the annual audit for the utility company.

Superintendent Eric Bloomfield said he had contacted some accounting agencies who had experience in auditing accounts for utility companies and, after consideration, recommended the Portsmouth, Ohio, firm of Caudill and Associates to the board.

Bloomfield said the cost of the audit will be in the $12,000 to $13,000 range. He said those doing the audit will be getting prepared information from Rodney Robinette who had previously performed audits for the utility company. Robinette was retained to do some monthly accounting work for the utility company.

Bloomfield told board members he had been working with the utility company’s billing software to try to compile a more comprehensive monthly financial statement for them. He said new software could cost between $30,000 and $50,000 and he is delaying that expenditure for as long as possible.

He told board members a plan had been submitted to the EPA and Kentucky Division of Water for the upgrades to the city’s sewer system and separating the storm sewer from the sanitary sewer. The agencies will review the plan and notify the local utility company of any needed changes.

Bloomfield said he would be attending a grant workshop 

hosted by the EPA and planned to submit an application for a grant to help fund the upgrades to the sewer system. He said the review process on this particular grant is a short one and that they should hear about the status of the application by mid-October.

Bloomfield told board members he had met with officials from the Kentucky Department of Transportation and learned that the state’s plan to repave Second Street in Vanceburg has been delayed at his request.

Bloomfield said the state had planned the repaving project for this fall, but that work by the utility company to update the sewer and water system next fall would result in most of the street being dug up for the work. He said transportation officials will allocate money from the repaving project to the utility company and the street will be repaved along with the project.

He said he had talked with transportation department officials and learned that natural gas and water lines located adjacent to an embankment failure on Ky. Rt. 8 between Black Oak and Vanceburg are out of the danger area.

He said the projected repairs to the roadway will not cause a disruption of service and that the lines are not in any immediate danger of damage from the slip.

Board members approved the financial reports and September invoices before adjourning.