Los Angeles schools prepare for flu

School Officials Roll Out Bird Flu Guidelines

POSTED: 5:24 pm PDT September 13, 2006
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LOS ANGELES -- The bird flu has not arrived in North America.

However, state school officials are rolling out new guidelines to be ready just in case.

Schools are hotbeds for germs and flu transmission.

In the case of a widespread flu pandemic this can become a serious problem. That's why school and health officials are trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Wednesday the state schools chief made a checklist available to all schools to help them better prepare and respond to pandemic flu.

The list includes steps such as:

# Prepare for the possibility of schools functioning with only 30 percent of staff people present

# Account for what students with medical conditions will need in case of emergency

# Develop a communication plan about schedule changes and possible school closures

Schools are encouraging students to stop the spread of infections in low-tech ways like washing their hands, covering their mouths when they sneeze and cough and staying home if they are sick.

Web sites:

CDC Cover Your Cough
CDC Materials
Pandemic Flu Individuals and Families Planning Pandemic Flu Planning Checklist