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Westbrook Schools Seeing a ‘Fairly Typical’ Flu Season

Flu season is well upon us and it’s looking like a fairly severe year so far, with influenza-like illness (ILI) widespread throughout the state, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH). In Westbrook schools, however, it’s been a fairly typical flu season so far.

“I can remember some years where we actually had a much greater percentage of students all at once going out with confirmed symptoms of flu,” said Westbrook Superintendent of Schools Patricia A. Ciccone.

Similar to other years, she said, “the schools are hit with it in different ways. The elementary school had issues with students [missing school] and also staff a couple of weeks ago.”

Two or three students will be out at a time and when those children return to school, another two or three students will be out.

“[T]he littlest among us, they are susceptible...because they’re sharing things, they’re probably not the best at covering their coughs,” Ciccone continued. “We always make sure that we reinforce our cleaning protocols. Everything is wiped down every night and if we have a school like the elementary school, where there’s an uptick...We ask the custodians to wipe down door knobs and railings...even a couple of times during the day.”

The district’s head nurse, Tina Bennett, who serves high school and middle school students, keeps track of all ILI, and is assisted in this task by Kayla Johnson, the nurse at Daisy Ingraham Elementary School. All information is communicated to the school physician.

“The flu is widespread nationwide and it’s widespread through Connecticut also,” Bennett said. The district has had some cases “here and there,” she said, and is “taking our precautions and doing what we need to do.”

According to his office, First Selectman Noel Bishop received a call from a parent in January asking why parents weren’t notified about students who missed school because of the flu. But that’s not the protocol, said Bennett.

“We did send out a notification” to parents with information about flu season, she said. “We do this once a year as the flu comes and it becomes more widespread.”

Information about how the flu is spread, how to recognize symptoms, and what to do if one’s child becomes ill is also on the district’s website. The district follows the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the DPH, Bennett said.

As for sending parents information about a sick child, “That’s protected health information, Bennett said. “Remember, there are HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] rules that we have to follow, too.

“We always take that into consideration,” she said. “Parents are informed. It’s a fine line to walk.”

In the most up-to-date public information available at press time, according to the DPH, the percentage of ILI-related emergency room visits statewide for the week of Jan. 26 through Feb. 1 was 16.48 percent, higher than the previous week and higher than the same period the previous year. Connecticut had its first flu-related pediatric death during the same week.

According to the CDC, as of Feb. 1, all New England states had high levels of ILI activity, except for New Hampshire, where the level was moderate.

District information about the flu may be found at www.westbrookctschools.org.