Piggy Panic

I received a text from my wife today:

[Middle School Daughter] has come home with the most amazing rumors about swine flu that I have EVER heard. "LCPS will take the healthy kids and put them in an overnight school and do tests and bloodwork on them and stuff. It will be awesome!" They sent home a flyer today. She said some kids were wearing surgical masks. She is so excited.

Deep breath.

First, facts and helpful information being distributed by LCPS:

LCPS Home page Information on Swine Flu and How to Prevent it.

LCPS Student Health Services Website:

• Do you know the difference between seasonal flu, swine flu, avian flu, and pandemic flu?
• Swine Influenza and You
• Talking to Children about Swine Flu (PDF)
  

The Loudoun Times Mirror carried Dr. Hatrick's Statement about Swine Flu

All students should have come home today with letters about swine flu (and in Spanish).

All of this should have the effect of making everyone well informed and assured that LCPS is well aware of the situation and is well prepared in the event of a local outbreak.

With that said, I came across an interesting factoid. The CDC estimated in 2003 that 36,000 people die in the US each year from flu-related complications. That's 36,000 every year. And yet somehow, no surgical masks at school in those other years.

Please don't panic your kids.