Moiola reopens

Moiola Elementary students are back at school, after the campus was closed for two days due to a probable swine flu incident.

County health officials ruled Tuesday afternoon that students at the Fountain Valley School District campus could return to school the next day.

About 40 students remained at home Wednesday, school officials said, either due to illness or cautious parents; the school typically has about 10 such absences a day. Several students went home from school with symptoms of illness by mid-morning Wednesday, but their symptoms didn’t necessarily indicate swine flu, school officials said.

Parents said their kids spent time indoors on their time off, playing video and board games, and were disappointed to hear that they had to go back so quickly, after being told the school would close for a week.

The Orange County Health Care Agency said in a release Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recommended that schools not be dismissed when a student is suspected or confirmed to have swine flu, unless there is “significant faculty or student absenteeism that interferes with the school’s ability to function.”

Students and staff are told to cover their nose and mouth with a tissue when they cough or sneeze, wash their hands often with soap and water and try to avoid close contact with sick people.

Children should not come to school if they feel ill, the agency said.

Moiola’s closure marked the first time a campus in Orange County has been shut down during the recent epidemic.

Moiola shut its doors Monday morning after officials informed administrators that two students had possibly contracted the swine flu. School officials originally planned to close for one to two weeks.

Pamela Kahn, the health and wellness coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education, stressed that so far, local swine flu has been milder than “normal” flu, and said that Moiola families should go on with their normal lives while watching closely for flu symptoms.

“The hallmark of swine flu is a fever of 100 degrees or higher,” she said. If other symptoms are present without the characteristic fever, an individual most likely isn’t infected with swine flu.

“There’s no need to stay home or stay out of the public,” Kahn said. “Just be a little more vigilant.”