6 new probable flu cases in King County, but schools reopening

Even as King County health officials reported six new probable cases of swine flu Monday afternoon, schools that have closed over the past week will be reopened by Tuesday.

The six new cases include four children, ages 9, 10, 12 and 13; a 36-year-old, and a 54-year-old. None was hospitalized.

That brings the number of probable cases in King County to 28, including 27 that were identified through lab tests. The state had 45 probable cases as of Monday afternoon, according to the state Department of Health.

The illnesses are no more severe than other cases the county has seen this week and remain "comparable with seasonal influenza," Dr. Jeff Duchin, chief of communicable disease control for Public Health — Seattle & King County.

King County public health officials decided Sunday that schools in the county would not have to automatically close when swine flu is suspected.

In all, nine schools closed for a day or more the past week, most for just a day. Madrona K-8 in Seattle, which was the first to close, was out the longest — three days.

On Monday, Lakes High School in Lakewood reopened. Two students there who were suspected of having the virus did not. Odyssey Elementary in Everett also reopened, as did Bear Creek School, a private school in Redmond.

Three Seattle schools are reopening Tuesday, all with late start times: Aki Kurose Middle at 10 a.m., Madrona K-8 at 10:45 a.m. and Stevens Elementary at 11:15 a.m. There will be no morning kindergarten for Madrona K-8, but afternoon kindergarten will start at its regular time. Breakfast will not be served at any of the three Seattle schools.

Woodmont K-8 in Des Moines in the Federal Way School District also will reopen Tuesday with a late start time, at 10:15 a.m., and there will be no morning kindergarten.

Others reopening Tuesday are Midway Elementary in the Highline School District and Jackson Elementary in Everett.

Spiritridge Elementary in Bellevue, which reported a probable case of swine flu just as health officials were rethinking the school-closure policy, went ahead and opened Monday.

The recommendation from this point forward is for school officials to screen students or faculty upon arrival at school 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 the H1N1 virus — swine flu — 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."

Districts regrouping

The Highline School District will hold a staff meeting at the school Tuesday morning so that teachers and others can get any questions answered. The district is looking at holding a community meeting for Tuesday evening for parents and others.

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 from existing school policies in which teachers help identify and isolate ill students from the classroom.

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

"Learning as we go"

In Snohomish County, Everett School District officials say there was just one case of probable H1N1 virus at Jackson Elementary.

In a letter to parents, the district said health officials are changing their recommendations because the swine-flu virus seems to be less serious than feared, and because health officials understand the challenge posed to families when schools closed. The district said each probable or confirmed case of swine flu will be evaluated individually.

"We in education are used to having rules that do not change," the district wrote. "In this situation, however, we are learning as we go — as is the rest of the nation."

A custodial team is cleaning Jackson Elementary today, and teachers and other staff are at school getting ready to reopen Tuesday.

The district will also have a team of nurses on hand, mainly to support teachers and other staff and to answer questions, said district spokeswoman Mary Waggoner. Students who have any symptoms of the swine flu will be sent home, she said.

More cases reported

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

Six of the King County cases reported Sunday were tracked to children between ages 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.

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

Seattle Times staff reporter Janet I. Tu contributed to this report.