 | MESPA Home > Resources for Principal Leadership > H1N1 Influenza Virus > Reporting Illiness Activity in Schools | | | Memorandum to Superintendents | | September 28, 2009
Dear School Superintendent:
On
behalf of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota
Department of Health (MDH), thank you very much for reporting
influenza-related absenteeism to MDH. This information has been
extremely valuable in helping us determine the level and geographic
distribution of influenza-like activity in Minnesota. We are writing
now because we have received requests for information on influenza
activity in schools and we would like to share with you our plans for
communicating this information.
We view it as a good sign that
people are interested in influenza-like activity in schools because it
allows us the opportunity to educate the public on the widespread
nature of the current outbreak and the steps they can take to help
prevent the spread of influenza.
Last week, we received
questions about the number of schools meeting the threshold for
reporting influenza-related absenteeism to MDH. For the first several
days, we responded with aggregate numbers. However, we recently
received two requests from the news media for specific names of schools
that have reported. These data are public data so that if the media
specifically request these data, we must provide it. However, we
believe that what people are most interested in is the general nature
of the outbreak—the regions where we are experiencing
heightened influenza-like activity and a sense of that activity.
As
you know, we have several influenza surveillance systems in Minnesota,
including hospitalizations for influenza, a sentinel outpatient network
that reports on the numbers of patients with influenza-like illness
they are seeing each week, and outbreaks in schools. We already report
on the hospitalizations and on the sentinel network with posted
information on the MDH Web site. We also plan to begin reporting
influenza-like illness activity in schools on the MDH Web site as
follows:
Every Wednesday, the MDH Web site will
display the number of schools, by county, that reported influenza
activity to MDH during the previous week. This display will not include
the names of the schools. The activity reported will reflect the prior
week’s activity and not be cumulative.
If the media
request a specific list, as mentioned earlier, this will be provided.
We understand that providing such a list to the news media may create
additional scrutiny of those schools. To ensure that the media have a
better understanding of the data, we intend to provide any specific
information with the following caveats:
- The list indicates
those schools that had either five percent of their student body absent
or three students absent in any one elementary school classroom during
the previous week.
- People should not assume that if a school
is not on the list, it does not have influenza circulating; a school
not currently on the list could still have an increased level of
absenteeism due to influenza-like illness.
- Being on the list does not mean a school is a “hot spot.”
- This
list should not be used as a decision-making tool to determine if
children should go to school or engage with other children from that
school. Influenza is widespread in Minnesota and people should assume
it is or could be in their school or community and take appropriate
protection measures.
- Some of the schools on the list may have
already reduced their absenteeism and returned to normal levels because
the data reflect the prior week; others will have been reported to us
since the data was compiled for that week.
As discussed
in earlier communications, we urge schools to communicate with parents
when there is increased influenza activity in their school. Because
there may be news accounts about particular schools experiencing
flu-like activity, it will be especially helpful for parents to have
heard about influenza activity first from the school. Also, sometimes
the media ask specific questions about individual absences. It is worth
remembering the importance of the privacy of students and families, and
that those data are not public data.
Again, we truly
appreciate our partnership with you. It is important to be able to
track this outbreak, and we want to reiterate our interest in helping
you in any way we can with questions or concerns about influenza. We
know that this is a difficult time, so we encourage you to communicate
with us about how we can help you prevent the spread of influenza.
Minimizing influenza in schools is one of the most important steps we
can take to protect all Minnesotans from influenza.
If you
have any questions or need more information regarding influenza-like
activity, please contact Pam Gahr at MDH 651 201-5414; pam.gahr@state.mn.us. For communication issues, please contact Bill T. Walsh at bill.t.walsh@state.mn.us; 651 582-1145.
Sincerely,
Sanne Magnan, M.D., Ph.D. Alice Seagren, Commissioner
Commissioner of Health MN Department of Education
|
Update_to_Supts_2.pdf
9/28/09: update to superintendents on requirements of reporting influenza-like illness activity in schools
|
| |
| H1N1 Influenza Update | for Minnesota district superintendents from
Commissioner Alice Seagren and Minnesota Department of Health
Commissioner Sanne Magnan, regarding communicating information about
influenza-like illness activity in schools.
|
| | For an official copy of this memorandum on State Health Department stationery, scroll to the PDF below.
|
|
|
