CDC believes the overall impact of H1N1 in the Fall/Winter of 2009-10 should be greater than in the Spring 2009, and school dismissals may be warranted, but will depend on the disease burden and other conditions in our local communities. The situation in Fall 2009 is unpredictable, more communities may be affected, reflecting wider transmission.

We have prepared these links to better educate our community on the best ways to deal with both seasonal and H1N1 type flus. The decision to dismiss students will be made locally in cooperation with our local Health Officials who have knowledge of our local situation and will balance the goal of reducing the number of people who become seriously ill or die from influenza with the goal of minimizing social disruption and safety risks to children sometimes associated with school dismissal.

Based on the experience and knowledge gained in jurisdictions that had large outbreaks in Spring 2009, the potential benefits of preemptively dismissing students from school are often outweighed by negative consequences, including students being left home alone, workers missing work when they must stay home with their children, students missing meals, and interruption of students’ education. In some CDC documents the phrase “If flu conditions become MORE severe” is advice if the virus mutates into a much more serious health threat than it was during Spring 2009.