By The Associated Press
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
State health officials are asking all Virginia school districts to report daily absences among students and employees in an attempt to help them track flu patterns.
The policy is part of an effort to manage flu cases as the state's 1.2 million public school students return to school.
Virginia Department of Health spokesman Phil Giaramita says by tracking absences, officials can look for unusual patterns that could serve as early signs of possible clusters of H1N1 illnesses.
Schools will submit the date, student enrollment, student absences, faculty/staff employment, and faculty/staff absences. Names and other personal information won't be included.
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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.timesdispatch.com
