King County softens school policy on suspected flu cases

King County schools will not automatically shutter their doors when swine flu is suspected. Instead, school officials should screen students or faculty "upon arrival" for symptoms — fever and cough or sore throat — and order those suspected of infection to stay home at least seven days, county health officials said Sunday.

The major shift in public-health policy reflects a belief that this emerging virus, called H1N1 by scientists, has gained a permanent foothold in this state and nationally.

"It [the virus] is apparently becoming more common," said Dr. David Fleming, director and health officer of Public Health-Seattle & King County. "Because of that, closing schools is becoming less and less effective."

Some King County school officials expressed concern Sunday night with how to comply with the county's broad recommendations.

In Seattle, school officials have requested detailed instructions on how to effectively screen students or staff for symptoms before school starts each day, particularly in facilities that do not have trained health-care providers, spokeswoman Patti Spencer said.

Many of Seattle's 92 schools, which house about 45,000 students, share nurses who rotate among facilities to provide medical oversight, Spencer said.

But county health officials said new screening recommendations are not significantly different than existing school policies in which teachers help identify and isolate ill students from the classroom.

County officials recognize schools won't be ready to begin screening today, and the county is working on guidelines that will go out to schools this week.

Ten more probable cases of swine flu were reported in Washington state Sunday, bringing to 35 the number of such cases in five counties. Overall, 21 probable cases have been reported in King County, according to the state Department of Health.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not confirmed any of the cases as swine flu.

Six of the newest King County cases reported Sunday were tracked to children between the ages of 5 and 13. The seventh case involved a 57-year-old patient. Public-health officials also are tracking an unconfirmed case, a young child who is a sibling of a suspected victim.

None is critically ill or hospitalized, county health officials said.

County and state officials said there is no cause for alarm and noted the low number of people infected by the pathogen. Common strains of seasonal flu claim routinely claim 36,000 lives a year. Additionally, Washington has stockpiled hundreds of thousands of doses of prescription antiviral medication, Tamiflu and Relenza.

County public-health officials said they are working to reopen schools that already are closed. One school in Snohomish County and five in King County currently are closed due to the flu. At least three of those schools — Madrona K-8, Alki Kurose Middle School and Stevens Elementary, all in Seattle — will remain closed today. It was not immediately clear how soon the King County schools might reopen.

At least one other county, Snohomish, plans to follow the new King County screening guidelines. In other cities nationally, such as New York, officials also have stopped routine school closures, county officials said. Routine closures disrupt class schedules, create financial hardships for families and do little to stop the spread of the flu throughout a community, federal health officials said.

King County public-health officials said they will seek to suspend classes if large clusters of students become ill.

Katherine Long: 206-464-2423 or klong@seattletimes.com