[BHS etree] BUSD: Superintendent William Huyett Addresses the Swine Flu

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PLEASE DO NOT REPLY to the etree, contact Mark Coplan
[mailto:Mark_Coplan at berkeley.k12.ca.us]


Superintendent William Huyett Addresses the Swine Flu

April 27, 2009
Dear BUSD Staff, Students and Parents:					

As you may have heard on the news, Federal health officials declared a
health emergency after announcing Sunday that 40 swine flu cases have been
reported so far in New York, Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California. Patients
have ranged in age from 9 to over 50. At least two were hospitalized. All
recovered or are recovering.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today reminded
school officials throughout the state that we may download a free "Keep Our
Schools Healthy" toolkit in multiple languages to help prevent the spread of
germs and viruses, such as the recently reported outbreak of swine influenza
(To download the free posters please visit
http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/av/mm/yr03mm.asp#pos ). I wanted to share his
toolkit, some good advice from the Center for Disease Control and
prevention, and I want to also want to assure you of the local measures we
are taking here in Berkeley.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov
recommend the following measures to stay healthy:

* Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw
the tissue in the trash after you use it. 

* Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough
or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. 

* Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. 

* Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

* Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through
coughing or sneezing of infected people. 

* If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school
and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. 
 
The City of Berkeley (COB) is fortunate to have its own health department,
and I have been in communication throughout the weekend with Dr. Janet
Berreman, MD, MPH, Berkeley's Health Officer. She will continue to stay in
close contact with us throughout the situation.

The COB Health Department has worked with the BUSD, U.C. Berkeley, Alta
Bates Hospital and other community partners over the past few years to
develop protocols for this type of an emergency, so you can be assured that
we are prepared in the event that the situation escalates. We do not
anticipate any problems at this time, but the safety of your children is our
highest priority, and we will move quickly to protect them if the need
arises.

Best wishes,
William Huyett
Superintendent of Schools
Berkeley Unified School District

==========================================
Forwarded by:

Mark A. Coplan
Public Information Officer, BUSD
510-644-6320 Cell: 510-472-3811
Mark_Coplan at berkeley.k12.ca.us
Berkeley Unified School District
2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, Ca 94704-1180