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New strain of Flu causing concern, panic


metsfan

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Sorry to bring back an old topic. An important new development has occurred. The swine flu has reformed and has now as of Friday (5/15/09) closed several more schools in Queens. One victim is a School Vice Prinicpal. Here story.

 

Queens Assistant Principal's swine flu not treatable; condition worsening, family by his side

 

BY Frank Lombardi, Matthew Lysiak, Barry Paddock and Brian Kates

NY Daily News Writers

 

Updated Friday, May 15th 2009

 

A Queens assistant principal stricken with swine flu was barely clinging to life Friday as his distraught family blamed slow-moving city officials for putting him in peril.

 

Bonnie Wiener, taking a break from her bedside vigil with husband Mitchell, said the principal at IS 238 in Queens wanted to close the school last week - but was rebuffed.

 

The city Health Department "chastised him and told him he was going to start a panic," she said.

 

"Everyone knows that this was unnecessary, and lives were put at risk, because the Department of Health was afraid to act in the best interest of the students and faculty."

 

By Tuesday night, her husband's temperature soared above 100 degrees and he became "borderline incoherent," the reading and language teacher told the Daily News.

 

Three days later, the prognosis was increasingly grim.

 

"He's in critical, critical condition," Wiener said. "I'm in a nightmare I can't wake myself up from. The doctors told me it's a miracle he made it through the night."

 

Mitchell Wiener, 55, a 31-year veteran teacher, was breathing only with the help of a ventilator.

 

Bonnie Wiener, a teacher at the same school, said the principal wanted to close IS 238 down after an unusually large number of students came to the nurse's office with aches and flu-like symptoms.

 

Mayor Bloomberg defended the city's handling of the school closing, although Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden acknowledged the city was aware of swine flu cases at IS 238 before classes resumed Monday.

 

"You can always second-guess," the mayor said - a sentiment echoed by Frieden.

 

"I'm sure you could argue, and many will or have, that we should have shut this school sooner," the outgoing commissioner said. "... It's a judgment call."

 

The city officials spoke as the Wiener family gathered at the hospital. Wiener's son Adam said his father was "pretty weak but not hopeless."

 

Mitchell Wiener was admitted to Flushing Hospital on Wednesday morning, and hasn't been conscious since Thursday afternoon, when he was sedated. Wiener was diagnosed with gout a year and a half ago, a condition that exacerbated the impact of the swine flu.

 

"It was very, very rough last night," said his son, who described Wiener as loving and caring.

 

Three schools closed Friday after they were hit with a rash of sickness and absences.

 

Students at IS 238 said Wiener had been out for several days and that more kids than usual were absent this week.

 

Bloomberg called the closings precautionary and said there is no evidence that swine flu is "worse than normal influenza."

 

Also closed is IS 5 in Elmhurst and Public School 16 in Corona. The 4,475 students involved are due back in class in a week.

 

Wiener's illness raised fears that the swine flu also known as the H1N1 virus - which has spread to 34 countries, sickening nearly at 6,672 people and killing 70 worldwide- may have mutated into a more severe cluster form never before seen in New York.

 

An education department source said the student absentee rate at IS 238, which normally is about 5% or 6%, tripled to 16% Thursday.

 

"It's been mounting slowly all week," the source said. "Too many kids were starting to get sick, so they had to close the schools. They got hit hard and fast. We thought this was done, but this week it came back with a vengeance."

 

In addition to Wiener, IS 238 - the Susan B. Anthony School - has had four students with swine flu and 50 more with flu-like symptoms since May 6.

 

PS 16 reported that 29 students went to the nurse's office with flu-like symptoms Thursday, while 241 students were absent.

 

Gov. Paterson said the state is monitoring the outbreak: "We encourage everyone to remain alert, rather than alarmed."

 

Thursday's closings came a week after St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows, the school with the most confirmed cases of swine flu, reopened after being shuttered for a week.

 

c)2009 NY Daily News, Inc

 

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One of the Queens schools that was closed(IS5 in Elmhurst is nearby where I live. As a matter of fact I saw a news helicopter around 5pm yesterday,pretty sure they were filming the school which is a block off Queens Blvd.

 

Bloomberg along with his puppets was on Queens Blvd today holding a press conference trying to downplay all of this.

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A mask won't really help. Maybe staying home would.

True, however you don't expect people to walk around with respirators (which do block viruses). Common legend accepts that surgical masks prevent contact with viruses/bacteria. They just minimise the risk of getting infected.

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So, it looks like all the cheap vacationers going to mexico vs an island or europe etc brought back this virus as a souvenir.

 

People are so used to being trapped into working and never taking off or going to school despite feeling ill, in all most every other country when you feel sick you stay home, but in the usa, no, you have to go to work, don't be a crybaby, the company needs you to make everyone else at the office sick too.

 

This is as much of a hand washing, contain sneezes & coughs thing as it is a social issue of people having the mentality that even if sick they somehow must go to work. Sadly going to work = get 10 other people sick & they get 10 people sick each, and then you have your pandemic or whatnot.

 

It's really simple. If you feel ill... STAY HOME. :mad:

 

- A

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That the problem most company's don't have sick days or they don't use it Because they need to go to work so they can make ends meet and since were in a economic crisis they really don't have a choice am sure the mayor can figure something out!! oh wait hes a billionaire and need's his city to work.

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So, it looks like all the cheap vacationers going to mexico vs an island or europe etc brought back this virus as a souvenir.

 

People are so used to being trapped into working and never taking off or going to school despite feeling ill, in all most every other country when you feel sick you stay home, but in the usa, no, you have to go to work, don't be a crybaby, the company needs you to make everyone else at the office sick too.

 

This is as much of a hand washing, contain sneezes & coughs thing as it is a social issue of people having the mentality that even if sick they somehow must go to work. Sadly going to work = get 10 other people sick & they get 10 people sick each, and then you have your pandemic or whatnot.

 

It's really simple. If you feel ill... STAY HOME. :mad:

 

- A

 

I fought that battle during my student years for almost 17 years....

 

Never won...

 

And just think missing school doesn't even come with the same consequences missing work does...

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When I was in School I was always looking to play hooky. They were always treating to hold me back. One year between Sept to March I missed 31 School days. They told me when I get out in the real world I wouldn't hold a job if I didn't clean my act up. Now as a Transit Employee I don't even think I took that many yet in 9 Years

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It's a social mentality thing. It needs to change, and people more educated. Not hyped out "oh em gee we are all going to die" crap, but actual "hey this is the flu, but it also could be deadly because of a mutation, so please, if you feel ill akin to cold or flu stay home, this way you minimize the spread while doctors and researches can get ahead of it enough to where it isn't an issue".

 

- A

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It's a social mentality thing. It needs to change, and people more educated. Not hyped out "oh em gee we are all going to die" crap, but actual "hey this is the flu, but it also could be deadly because of a mutation, so please, if you feel ill akin to cold or flu stay home, this way you minimize the spread while doctors and researches can get ahead of it enough to where it isn't an issue".

 

- A

 

 

That above statement i agree 110% with. Employers/bosses should think it better that an employee misses 1-2 days of work than this worse case nightmare of a mutation foaming in which workers can miss a long period of time and the business closes.

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The Swine Flu has come close to home since my old High School is closed due to the Swine Flu. A student from the school is confirmed that he/she has the Swine Flu. Below is a letter from the director about the reasons of the school is closed. I have attended the school until 2005 and was there starting at 1992 and still have friends that attend the school. I hope everyone will recover from the flu.

 

 

Date: Tuesday - May 19, 2009

School closed - Click for details

May 18, 2009

 

Dear Parents,

 

This morning, we received word that there has been one confirmed case of the H1N1 Swine Flu virus at The Child School. We have personally contacted all parents of the students whose children share the same classroom and bus as this upper elementary school youngster. We have contacted the Department of Health as well as the Department of Education, the TCS Steering Committee and Board of Directors for their guidance on this matter. At this writing, we have yet to receive any official word with respect to how we should formally respond to this development. The health and well being of our students, staff and families is our foremost concern.

 

As a precaution, we have requested that the Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) thoroughly disinfect BUS 738, the bus that this particular youngster takes to and from school, prior to any of our students re-embarking on this bus. The classrooms of the students on this bus have been disinfected as well. However, please keep in mind that all of the students at The Child School travel throughout our campus on a daily basis. Therefore, it is in our best interests to make certain that the entire Child School campus receive the same thorough disinfecting.

 

In order to facilitate a complete disinfecting process at The Child School, we will be closed Tuesday, May 19th and Wednesday, May 20th. We will reopen on Thursday, May 21st. However, if we are unable to open on May 21st, please call or visit our website for updated information after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday May 20th.

 

Our website is http://www.thechildschool.org. The phone numbers are: 212-223-5055, 212-223-5482 or 212-223-5057.

 

It is imperative that parents use serious discretion when considering sending a sick child to school on or after May 21st, 2009. Please do not send your child to school if s/he is experiencing flu-like symptoms, including fever (over 100 degrees F) and cough or sore throat, runny nose, muscle pain and fatigue. Additionally, if you suspect your child is getting the flu, it is essential that s/he does not go anywhere else - such as child care, play dates, or sporting events - where others could potentially be exposed.

 

Parents MUST e-mail Lalig at tcslegacy@aol.com if there are any further confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus.

 

Because of this situation we are also choosing to postpone our Film Festival until a later date.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Again, the health and well being of our students, staff and families is our foremost concern.

 

Sincerely,

 

Maari

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I heard many kids say, "CLOSE DOWN THE SCHOOLS!" In the short term, it could help prevent kids from contracting the disease from each other. However, if the DOE closes every single school down. Repercussions will arise. Say there are kids who are infected but are not showing symptoms. Will they really stay home? As an adolescent, I'll tell you. Not really. Many parents would have to stay home to supervise their kids. What will happen? The parents could not work, because they have to make sure the kids will not get into trouble or contract the disease etc... now if a good amount of parents are not working, it could be a drastic blow to our city's economy. Our city's economy will not be healthy this year, let me tell you. This swine flu thing will only hurt tourism, a major source of income for the city. If people are not visiting the city because of the swine flu that's bad. But if the parents are not working, that's worse.

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Yea alot of the kids want the day off even if summer is fast approaching,lol but MTR Admiralty is right closing the down all the schools will hurt the citys economy because they can't leave there kids at home to go to work, but then again what's More important the economy or your children health? ether way it just would make a different since kids who are ok are not going to school.

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Yea alot of the kids want the day off even if summer is fast approaching,lol but MTR Admiralty is right closing the downtown all the school will hurt the citys economy because they can't leave there kids at home to go to work, but then again what's More important the economy or your children health? ether way it just would make a different since kids who are ok are not going to school.

 

Yeah my friend tells me everyday: "Man, I want this school to be shut down". I didn't feel like giving him a 2 hour lecture on the economy, so I'm like "right...".

Well of course the economy is important! We need the money to fund the programmes that can curb other disease outbreaks, we need the money to produce effective vaccines, money for masks, money for Tamiflu, money to run the hospitals etc...

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Curbing the spread trumps all other concerns.

 

I am going to say this one more time since people don't seem to get it.

 

IF YOU ARE SICK OR FEEL ILL OR OUT OF IT STAY HOME FOR THE SAKE OF THE REST OF US!

 

 

Thank you.

 

- A

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