News Release
April 25, 2009

School to Close, Other Flu Precautions Recommended

The Texas Department of State Health Services announced today that Byron Steele High School in Cibolo will temporarily close effective immediately as public health and school officials work to keep swine influenza from spreading.

Swine flu was confirmed earlier this month in two students from the school, and a third student is listed as a probable case with confirmatory lab test results pending. The original two have recovered, and the third is recovering. The school is part of the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District in Guadalupe County near San Antonio.

“The purpose is to reduce the risk to students, staff and the community,” said Sandra Guerra, M.D., a DSHS regional director and the public health authority for Guadalupe County.

She also urged students not to be around each other while school is out. “That would defeat the purpose,” she said. The school’s extracurricular activities also will be cancelled.

DSHS is urging the school’s staff, faculty, students and their household members to avoid contact with others, especially if they have symptoms of a respiratory illness.

Additionally, the following precautions are strongly recommended for all residents of Guadalupe County:

• Public gatherings should be postponed for the immediate future.
• Anyone with symptoms of a respiratory illness, and their household members, should stay home and avoid close contact with others.

Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to those of regular or seasonal flu and include fever, fatigue, lack of appetite and coughing. Some with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Health officials say everyone should follow standard precautions to reduce the spread of any respiratory illness.

• Stay home when you are sick to avoid spreading illness to others.
• Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or a tissue and properly dispose of used tissues.
• Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

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(News Media: For more information contact Doug McBride, DSHS Press Officer, 512-458-7524 or 512-532-4950.)