DHS: Updated Federal Guidelines for 2009 H1N1 Influenza in Schools Offer Many Options

Updated federal guidelines offer state and local public health and school officials a range of options for responding to 2009 H1N1 influenza in schools, depending on how severe the flu may be in their communities. The guidance says officials should balance the risk of flu in their communities with the disruption that school dismissals will cause in education and the wider community.

The guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was announced today at a joint news conference by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.
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I thought this warranted some attention. Nothing too particularly sinister, except for the fact that it was released by the Department of Homeland Security. The document doesn't allude to the possibility of forced inoculations, only that vaccinations are recommended to keep the virus from spreading.

In fact, it's an almost boring statement, which is why I suspect it's just an empty, meaningless cover statement. We'll probably see a lot of placatory rhetoric like this before we find out what they're really up to.


TA

I'm wondering how long is too long to shut schools down. I remember when i was younger, missing three weeks of school because of a strike right before spring break, which made it awesome. a month off when you're13..
aaaanyways, if i think which is more important, the lives of children or free lunch breaks, it seems to me that taking them out of school for a few months isn't too much to ask. If it does happen, people can work/go to school through summer then.
I read a thread earlier today about mandatory vaccinations here in alberta, so this is hitting pretty close to home. I got a little sister, cousins and the like who aren't really paying much attention to "stuff".