More U.S. schools have temporarily closed their doors in response to signs of a possible swine flu pandemic, or to be politically correct, H1N1 Flu. But are school districts overreacting? By Friday, more than 24 additional cases of the virus had been reported. Seventeen states have issued a total of 433 school closings, displacing (at least for the moment) 245,000 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Although this particular strain of flu has not proved deadlier than other strains, it has caused quite a stir because it is a new strain and people fear contracting it would leave them more vulnerable because they don’t have an immunity. The NYC school that caused such a scare last week after 45 students fell ill from the flu has reopened, but other New York schools have remained closed. (New York has the most reported cases in the U.S.) As new cases crop up parents are bound to experience some anxiety about sending their children to school and any other place that puts them in close contact with others that may be infected. It’s hard to say what the proper response should be. Should schools shut down under the “better safe than sorry” motto, or are the many closings a knee-jerk reaction?