Amid serious concerns about a new strain of influenza, Powell schools are taking steps to avoid an epidemic, while keeping schools open as usual.

The district is working with Park County Public Health and the Wyoming Department of Health to monitor the flu situation and determine the best steps to take should the flu hit the community.

As part of that effort, a letter went out to all parents enlisting their help in dealing with the situation. According to Shelley Hill, outreach planner for the district, the letter relays the steps the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending to prevent the spread of flu.

“It's our way of being proactive instead of reactive,” Hill said. “We want to let the parents know that we are aware of the situation and are prepared for it.”

The letter encourages parents to teach their children to take precautions, including washing their hands frequently, avoiding sharing personal items such as drinks, food or utensils and covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze. It also asks parents to watch for the symptoms of flu in their children, and keep them home if they are ill until at least 24 hours after any fever has disappeared.

Children who are found to be ill at school will be sent home, the letter said.

Concern about the flu is increased this year because of the H1N1 virus that appeared recently and quickly spread throughout the world. Unlike so-called seasonal flu, which normally appears during the fall and winter months, the H1N1 virus has spread during the summer months, and it appears to spread more easily than seasonal flu.

According to Park County Public Health nurse Liz Keefer, the new strain “has not been proven to be more virulent than seasonal flu,” and many people who contract the virus will experience only mild flu. However, individuals with underlying health conditions such as asthma and diabetes, along with pregnant women and babies, are at increased risk. In addition, there is concern that it may mutate into a more serious disease as it moves through the population.

The H1N1 flu also appears to infect children and young adults more seriously than seasonal flu.

“It's hard for anyone to say how this is going,” Keefer said.

Schools are particular concerns because children are in close contact in classrooms and may not always take necessary precautions.

“Any setting where multiple kids are gathered together, the virus can spread quickly,” Keefer said.

Keefer said the symptoms of the new strain are “pretty much the same” as the seasonal flu: fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, headaches and body aches. Diarrhea and vomiting may also occur.

Last spring, when the H1N1 virus first appeared, schools around the country closed, but the CDC is not advising that this year. According to Kathleen Sibelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, closing the schools did not slow the spread of the disease last spring and caused undue disruption to students' education.

This week, the CDC issued warnings that the new strain may affect from 30 to 50 percent of the population. While most will have only mild cases, the strain may cause 30,000 to 90,000 deaths, particularly among individuals with underlying medical problems, pregnant women and infants. Seasonal flu, by comparison, accounts for approximately 30,000 deaths each year, particularly among the elderly.

So far, only one case of H1N1 flu has been confirmed in Park County. As of last week, according to the Wyoming Department of Health, there have been 164 confirmed cases in the state, and recently there was one death in Fremont County.

A vaccine against the strain will not be available before October, according to reports, and it will be late November before adequate supplies are produced.

Keefer said the Public Health office is planning a meeting with school officials in Cody on Sept. 16 and will continue to work with area schools to minimize the spread of flu, should it reach the schools.

More information is available at the Wyoming Department of Health Web site at health.wyo.gov.