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When Should Flu Force A School To Close?

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Nov 4, 2009 5:44 pm US/Eastern

When Should Flu Force A School To Close?

FAQs: H1N1 Questions Answered

BOSTON (WBZ) ― Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have just released some new findings on when officials should close a school because of the flu.

Superintendents are trying to balance protecting the health of their students against the need to keep kids in class if possible.

Epidemiologists at Children's released new findings Wednesday to help schools and government agencies make those decisions.

 Read: The Study

They tracked four straight flu seasons in Japan and found that when four-percent of students or more are absent for two straight days that usually indicates there's a true outbreak that would require a school to shut down.

If a school needs to close, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends doing so for 5- to-7 calendar days.

Officials are urging parents to keep any students who have flu-like symptoms out of school.

That includes a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher and a cough or sore throat.

Tracking: Mass. H1N1 Flu Blog
Tracking: NH H1N1 State Site
Find: Flu Shot Clinics In Mass.

It's also important to let your school nurse know your child's symptoms so they can be documented.

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