SCHOOLS OUT FOR ZOMBIES

I am currently sick myself with flu like symptoms which my end my life as well as my posting here....... So I will make this brief.
THIS IS NO ROLEPLAYING JOKE ITS THE HONEST TRUTH. I SWEAR ON THE UNIVERSE!!!!!!!

A local High school (Mauldin High school to be exact) has been closed for the past two days for dis-infection.
High School Closes For 2nd Day
Nearly 20 Students Report Flu-Like Symptoms After Band Trip

POSTED: 6:37 pm EDT April 29, 2009
UPDATED: 6:21 am EDT May 1, 2009
MAULDIN, S.C. -- Mauldin High School is closed for second straight day on Friday due to concerns over possible H1N1 flu cases.

Greenville County School District crews spent the day Thursday cleaning and disinfecting the school from top to bottom.

The school was closed because nearly 20 Mauldin students have reported flu-like symptoms this week after a band trip to Florida last week.

Thursday afternoon, the school district announced the the school would also be closed on Friday. Mauldin High students will also not attend any classes at the Fine Arts Center or career centers, the district said.

In addition, all extra-curricular activities and games involving Mauldin High students are also cancelled. Mauldin High is the only affected Greenville County school.

Thursday, crews wiped down desks, lockers, chairs and anything else students touch, cleaning and disinfecting according to state Department of Health and Environmental Control guidelines.

Students most likely won't have to make up the missed school days.

Lyles said that the district plans to petition the state to excuse the missed days because they are a school-specific issue beyond the district's control.

The school district said that 16 to 18 of the 70 students who went to Disney World in Florida last week on an advanced band trip have reported flu-like symptoms.

School district officials said that they are waiting for DHEC test results from several cases to determine the type of flu the students have.

Parents of the band students were contacted regarding increased risk of exposure to the flu.

All Mauldin High families were called Thursday night regarding the school closing.

"Student safety always comes first, and we're going to err on the side of safety," Lyles said. "We're going to make sure that we have a safe environment at the school, and by doing so, I think we will."

Lyles said that other Greenville County schools are being advised to closely monitor students and to report any cases of flu-like symptoms to the district's coordinator of health services.

Information about viral diseases and precautions for parents has also been sent to schools, Lyles said.

Previous Stories:

* April 29, 2009: 10 'Probable' Cases Of Swine Flu In S.C.

Copyright 2009 by WYFF4.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



Newberry county schools closed due to h1n1 virus.

Swine Flu Worries Close Newberry School
Several Teens, Others Have Symptoms

POSTED: 10:45 am EDT April 27, 2009
UPDATED: 6:47 am EDT April 28, 2009
NEWBERRY, S.C. -- A private independent school in Newberry remained closed on Tuesday as administrators wait for word from state health officials about students' exposure to swine flu.
Thirteen seniors from Newberry Academy and three adult chaperones went on a trip to Cancun April 16-20, and shortly after, several of them became ill.

An updated notice on the Newberry Academy Web site Tuesday said: "We have been notified that we will not receive the tests results today (Monday), therefore, we will not have school on Tuesday for students or staff. We will also not play the softball or baseball games that are scheduled."

The site asked parents with students who developed flu-like symptoms over the weekend to call the school office after 8:30am.

On Monday, the Web site explained that the school's seniors were in Mexico two weeks ago and some had returned with flu-like symptoms. For that reason, health officials asked them to close school on Monday and wait for test results to make sure it is not the swine flu.

Robert Dawkins, headmaster at Newberry Academy, told WYFF News 4’s Mike McCormick that the teens had typical flu-like symptoms. Several of them went to the doctor, and one ended up at the hospital with fever-related seizures.

Dawkins said, "My initial decision was to only close the high school because this had been confined to the older students and then at the suggestion of DHEC we closed the whole school."

Newberry Academy has a student body of 250.

But Dawkins said he doesn’t think the illness was brought back from Mexico. He thought it likely started with a student who was sick before boarding the plane for Cancun who infected the other students.

[Image of trip to Mexico provided by Jennifer Moates]
Image of trip to Mexico provided by Jennifer Moates
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control contacted the school, and all of the students and chaperones had swabs taken from the inside of their mouths that will be tested. The swabs were driven to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta to determine if the illness is swine flu or some other type of influenza. Late Monday afternoon, DHEC said that the results of the tests would not be available until Tuesday.

School officials said that the closing is just a precaution to protect other students from possible exposure. Most of the students who became sick are feeling better. One girl who had been sick said her sister was still sick at home.

Student Heather Cheek said, "Whatever we got, it was exhausting. A lot of us are still coughing. Some of us have been in the hospital from it. I mean like cold chills, feverish, nausea, dizzy, headaches, body aches -- everything you could think of."

The affected students are taking Tamiflu, which experts say does help with swine flu.

Cheek said, "Anybody I know that has been sick since I've gotten back or that I've been around, I'm like, ‘Please go to DHEC and get tested.’"

The South Carolina Department of Health has been warning of possible outbreaks of swine flu, saying, "The outbreak is ongoing and additional cases are expected.”

The symptoms of swine flu are similar to seasonal flu and may include fever, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, headache and body aches and fatigue.

Severe illnesses, such as pneumonia and respiratory failure, have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Some cases have been fatal, though no fatalities have been reported in the U.S.

Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

DHEC says that people entering the United States who are experiencing symptoms consistent with swine flu and have traveled to an affected area, or have been exposed to someone possibly infected with swine flu, during the last seven days, should report their illnesses to their health care provider immediately and inform them of their recent travel.

State epidemiologist Dr. Jerry Gibson said, "We're trying to pick up new suspected cases brought into the state and very rapidly isolate them -- get them treatment -- which stops their infectiousness -- ask for quarantine of their family members and contacts, get them treatment and see if we can break the transmission cycle and slow this down."

Copyright 2009 by WYFF4.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


16 H1N1 Flu Cases In SC Confirmed
More Than 150 Cases Nationwide, Health Officials Say

UPDATED: 12:10 pm EDT May 1, 2009
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- A total of 16 confirmed cases of the H1N1, or so-called swine flu virus and six probable cases have been confirmed in the state, South Carolina health officials said late Thursday.

There are now more than 150 confirmed cases of the illness nationwide in 11 states.

"All of the confirmed cases are associated with the investigation involving a school in Newberry County," said Dr. Jerry Gibson, chief of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control's Bureau of Disease Control. "At this time, DHEC is conducting 21 investigations throughout the state."

The school, 250-student private Newberry Academy, will remain closed for the rest of the week and Newberry County announced Thursday that the county's public schools will also be closed on Friday.

All of the Newberry Academy students went on a senior trip to Mexico.

Newberry Academy's Web site announced the closure, saying: "We will not be able to reopen the school until next Monday (May 4th)." The Web site said the school has cancelled the middle school dance set for Friday and will forfeit the baseball games scheduled with Clarendon Hall.

The Web announcement also indicated the school will probably not be able to make up the days missed, but that decision will be made next week.

Meanwhile, Charter Communications confirmed Thursday that an employee at its Mauldin call center came to work sick this week with what was later diagnosed with Type-A influenza. The employee is now waiting for test results to see if it is swine flu.

Charter has contacted everyone who came into contact with her telling them they may need to be tested.

Dr. Marcela Young with the Center for Adult and Family Medicine said anyone who is about to travel to an area with a confirmed outbreak should use precautions and take along medications that will offer some protection.

"At this point our goal is still to do our best to contain this. I don't think we're going be able to stop the transmission," Gibson.

Health officials said South Carolina has a good supply of medicine to treat the virus.

DHEC has been warning of possible outbreaks of H1N1 flu, saying, "The outbreak is ongoing and additional cases are expected.”

The symptoms of swine flu are similar to seasonal flu and may include fever, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, headache and body aches and fatigue. Severe illnesses, such as pneumonia and respiratory failure, have been reported with swine flu infection in people.

According to the CDC, each flu season is unique, but it is estimated that on average, 5-20 percent of U.S. residents get the flu, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu related complications each year. About 36,000 Americans die on average each year from the complications of flu.

Like seasonal flu, H1N1 flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

DHEC says that people entering the United States who are experiencing symptoms consistent with swine flu and have traveled to an affected area, or have been exposed to someone possibly infected with H1N1 flu, during the last seven days, should report their illnesses to their health care provider immediately and inform them of their recent travel.

Gibson said, "We're trying to pick up new suspected cases brought into the state and very rapidly isolate them -- get them treatment -- which stops their infectiousness -- ask for quarantine of their family members and contacts, get them treatment and see if we can break the transmission cycle and slow this down."

The flu is spread through human-to-human contact, and the best defense is good hygiene, including frequent hand washing.

Brian Labus, with the Southern Nevada Health District, said, "This virus is not spread through food. There's no risk from anything you eat. You can get it from the person sitting next to you at the restaurant, not what comes on your plate."

Previous Stories:

* April 28, 2009: Swine Flu Worries Close Newberry School

Copyright 2009 by WYFF4.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.