Bloomfield health officer Michael Fitzpatrick shows the sanitary way to sneeze.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — It has been a harsh flu season.
Michael Fitzpatrick, the health officer for the Bloomfield Health Department, said a flu is made up of two proteins: hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. The notation for the particular strain this season is H3N2.
“It likely started in another part of the world among pigs and chickens,” Fitzpatrick said earlier this week at Bloomfield Town Hall.
A flu is an airborne virus transmitted through saliva and mucus. Its symptoms are, as mentioned, coughing and sneezing and also fever, aches, pains, and fatigue.
“A person can be contagious a week up to when the symptoms start,” he said. “Children may be still contagious for more than another week.”
At the Early Childhood Center at Forest Glen, Principal Linda Colucci said there were a lot of runny noses and students absent with fevers.
“But only one preschooler has had a confirmed case of the flu,” she said. “Two staff members said they tested positive with the swab, but they are not confirmed with medical documentation. All in all we have been very lucky considering the numbers of children in the building.”
Marianne Abbasso, the principal at Franklin Elementary, provided another report.
“We are doing OK,” she said. “We have sent a few home today with fevers over 100. We are wiping down desks every day at dismissal and making sure we are wiping down common areas like nurse’s office and bathrooms several times throughout the day. Some students are returning back to school too soon.”
Bloomfield High School Principal Chris Jennings said the flu was particularly hard-hitting this year. He has had some student absent for more than a week.
Fitzpatrick said there was not too much about the flu. He suggested, with large crowds, someone might want to consider wearing a medical mask in large crowds and not kissing on the lips.
“Kiss them on the cheek or the top of the head,” he said. “It’s just common sense.”
About the Author
