So Far, H1N1 flu hits Hotchkiss hardest

For reasons that are not yet apparent, The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville is the only school in the area reporting significant numbers of confirmed cases of H1N1. As of last Tuesday, there were 50 people on campus who were reported with symptoms.

“Fortunately, the H1N1 cases that we have seen have been mild and short in duration,†said Headmaster Malcolm McKenzie. “Most people have felt better in two to three days; a few have taken a bit longer to return to classes. I have been in the Health Center four or five times a day for the past week and the service of our staff and the spirit of the sick students have been exemplary.â€

Salisbury School, which is an all-boys boarding school with some day students, reports “a limited number of suspected cases.â€

“When a student has been identified as symptomatic,†said Headmaster Chisholm Chandler, “he is isolated from the rest of the school and sent home to recover under the care of parents or guardians. Symptomatic faculty/staff members are asked to remain at home. Students and faculty/staff members return to campus when cleared by our full-time medical director, Dr. Adrianna Bravo. All classes and activities are continuing as scheduled. Preventative measures continue to be taken to ensure the health of our entire school community.

“Some of the precautions being taken at Salisbury have included a registration-day screening of each student by our Health Services team; daily verbal and posted reminders to the school community regarding the importance of good hygiene; and hand sanitizers and tissues placed throughout the campus.  

“In addition, special procedures have been enacted by numerous campus departments including but not limited to dining services, athletics and housekeeping, as well as Health Services.â€

Schools in Kent seem to have remained relatively immune.

Adam Fisher, director of communications for Kent School, said that as of Friday, Sept. 18, the school had not had any reports of anyone suffering from swine flu.

“The school has been preparing for this all summer,†Fisher said. “We had an all-school meeting at the beginning of the school year and we distributed hand sanitizer to everyone. Studies have shown that influenza and viruses can be prevented by people washing their hands a little more. This is easy advice to follow.â€

Indian Mountain School said there are no suspected or confirmed cases on either of the two Lakeville campuses.

At the Berkshire School in Massachusetts, Jennifer Edelman-Crine, director of Student Health Services, said there have been no reported cases of H1N1.  

“All new and returning students were required to submit a health screening form before being allowed to register last week,†she said. “Berkshire will be receiving vaccines from Fairview Hospital, the local vaccine reception site, in early November. In the meantime, the school will follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control, which recommends that any students with symptoms of an influenza-like illness be sent home or to a local contact in order to limit the spread of illness in a residential setting. Berkshire students have been strongly encouraged to wash their hands and to take other prevention measures.â€

 There were no known cases at The Marvelwood School in Kent. Information was not available from the South Kent School.

Few incidents in day schools

In Region One, there have been a few students suspected of having the flu at the regional schools but none confirmed.

Nurses in the region reiterated the importance of handwashing. Students on some campuses have been wearing face masks, but one  nurse said that, “Really, those make you feel safer but they don’t do very much. The most important thing is to keep your hands clean.â€

Although it’s not clear why Hotchkiss had so many cases, area nurses theorized that it was because many of the students traveled through airports and on airplanes, where they might have encountered the virus; and that, once on campus, they were living in dormitories with shared bedrooms and bathrooms, and they were eating in dining halls. But it’s not clear why this would have had more of an impact at Hotchkiss than at other area boarding schools.

Some schools have put out hand sanitizers and are advising that students wipe their table before eating and then use hand sanitizer before and after they eat.

Flu shots but no H1N1 yet

Vaccines for the H1N1 virus will probably not be available until early October.

This particular flu seems to hit young people, under the age of 25, harder than it hits older people. One theory: that older people have some immunity  left over from taking swine flu vaccine in the late 1970s.

The state will decide how the vaccine is distributed, once it is available.

Priority for vaccinations will be given to pregnant women; people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age; health-care and emergency services workers; youngsters between the ages of 6 months and 24 years; and people between the ages of 25 and 64 who have compromised immune systems or chronic health disorders that put them at higher risk.

Jim Rokos, director of the Torrington Area Health District (TAHD) which oversees 19 area towns and 128,000 people in Litchfield County, said the symptoms are similar to those of the regular flu: coughing, a sore throat, fever, headache, fatigue and “a feeling like a truck has run over you,†Rokos said.

But those symptoms, if they are appearing now, are coming too early to indicate seasonal flu. Anyone who has those symptoms, most likely has H1N1.

“There is a lot of flulike virus out there and we believe it is H1N1,†Rokos said.

Flu shot clinic Oct. 13

Meanwhile, everyone is encouraged to get the regular flu vaccine as well as the pneumonia vaccine. A Northwest Corner flu shot clinic will be held in Cornwall on Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to noon at the library. It is open to anyone over the age of 9; wear short sleeves. The flu vaccine is $35 and the pneumonia vaccine is $50; Medicare Part B will pay for vaccines (bring a card).

The Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association has tips on handwashing, and is holding flu clinics; for information, turn to Health, Page A9.

H1N1 was declared a pandemic in June by the World Health Organization. Updates on the spread of the flu and on the clinical trials of the vaccine can be found online at flu.gov.

Latest News

Nuvance hospital system to merge with Northwell Health

Sharon Hospital would become part of a larger regional health systems with 28 hospitals.

Yehyun Kim/CTMirror.org

Nuvance Health, which owns four hospitals in Connecticut and three in New York, will merge with Northwell Health to form a larger regional health system across two states.

Together, the companies will own 28 hospitals and more than 1,000 sites of care and employ 14,500 providers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton director is an Oscar nominee

Arlo Washington in a film still from the Oscar-nominated short "The Barber of Little Rock."

Story Syndicate

John Hoffman, a Millerton resident, has been nominated for his film “The Barber of Little Rock,” which he co-directed with Christine Turner, in the Best Documentary Short Film category at the upcoming 96th Academy Awards.

Distributed by The New Yorker and produced by Story Syndicate Production in association with 59th & Prairie, Better World Projects, and Peralta Pictures, “The Barber of Little Rock” explores the efforts of Arkansas local hero Arlo Washington, who opened a barbershop at 19 years old and, with a mission to close the racial inequality gap in his community, went on to found the Washington Barber College as well as People Trust Community Federal Credit Union. Washington’s goal is aiding his primarily Black neighborhood, which has historically been underserved by more prominent banking institutions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Inside Troutbeck's kitchen

Chef Vincent Gilberti

Courtesy of Troutbeck

About growing up in Carmel, New York, Troutbeck’s executive chef Vincent Gilberti said he was fortunate to have a lot of family close by, and time together was always centered around food.

His grandparents in White Plains always made sure to have a supply of cured meats, olives, cheeses and crusty bread during their weekend visits. But it wasn’t until his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, when he was 16 that his passion for food really began. It was there that he joined the German Club, whose partnership with Johnson & Wales University first introduced him to cooking.

Keep ReadingShow less
Some say the world will end in fire. Ice is also possible.
Eliza Osborne

Today it feels like all life won’t end tomorrow, but a week or so ago not so much. Man oh man it was cold. It. Was. Cold. Could see your breath freezing in the air when you tried to talk. Seemed like no one would hear what you said until the vapor cloud thawed out sometime next spring. Didn’t want to go out. Didn’t want to get up. Didn’t want to do much of anything but sit around with my blankie. Probably freeze to death just walking from the house to the car.

Which, inevitably, led to thoughts about mortality. I know plenty of people who think you might as well go ahead and eat as much bacon as you want before you go, at least you’ll die happy. If you’re one of them, this might help you check that one off your bucket list.

Keep ReadingShow less