Oh, Mann: Swine flu takes out three more Boston schools

By adamg on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 3:15pm

The Boston Public Health Commission just tweeted that it's shutting the Jackson-Mann School and the Horace Mann School in Allston and the John Eliot School in the North End for seven days each because of swinish outbreaks.

That brings the number of schools in Boston felled by H1N1 to 11.

Neighborhoods:

Allston

North End

Free tagging:

Boston Public Schools

swine flu

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Comments

They closed the Eliot?

By Ron Newman on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 11:06pm.

That's just a few blocks from my office; some of their teachers probably eat lunch at the same places I do....

OK, Ron, stay out of my 'hood for the next seven days

By adamg on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 11:13pm.

I can't afford to take any chances.

Have you exiled the kidlet, too?

By SwirlyGrrl on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 12:22am.

She's probably your most likely household vector.

Actually, there is evidence that IF you had one of the flu shots in recent years that contained an H1N1 virus, you will have partial protection. The CDC tested blood samples and found that people over 30 have greater resistance than younger people, and that people who received flu shots (of all ages) had a greater immunogenic response to the H1N1 swine virus. This is likely because the virus that the pigs got and then gave back to the humans is likely one of the H1N1 viruses that people have been vaccinated against in recent years.

How would I find out?

By Allstonian on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 8:21am.

Is there a way to find out whether I have already been vaccinated against an H1N1 virus in a past year? I work in a hospital and generally get my shot during the mass employee vaccination in the fall.

Check the CDC website

By SwirlyGrrl on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 8:51am.

Vaccines for the last several years had an H1N1 virus - not the exact same one as the swine flu, but very possibly the same as the virus that became the swine flu.

From the CDC Website on the 2008-2009 vaccine:

The flu vaccine protects against the three main flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season. This year’s influenza vaccine contains three new influenza virus strains.

They are:

* A/Brisbane/59/2007(H1N1)-like virus;
* A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus;
* B/Florida/4/2006-like virus.

The 2008-09 influenza vaccine can protect you from getting sick from these three viruses, or it can make your illness milder if you get a related but different influenza virus strain.