Gould Academy has four confirmed H1N1 cases

BETHEL — Gould Academy has confirmed four student cases of H1N1, Director of Communications Tucker Kimball said Thursday.

A total of 200 H1N1 vaccines, including 100 nasal mist and 100 injections, were received from the Maine Center for Disease Control late Thursday afternoon in response to the outbreak. The school will begin to administer the vaccines to students Friday, focusing first on those who fall into the higher-risk category.

There are another eight students with suspected cases of H1N1 and two staff members who are exhibiting symptoms of influenza type illness, Kimball said.

The private school has 239 students.

No specific groups, such as students in a certain dormitory, have gotten the illness. Kimball said.

"We have a pretty standard response that we've been following in close communication with the CDC," he said. "We've been preparing for this since spring."

Kimball said Gould Academy would respond to the health situation in accordance with CDC recommendations and protocols.

According to he school's plan, students displaying flu-like symptoms with fever will be isolated from the school population in accordance with state CDC guidelines. The period of required isolation is anticipated to be three to five days.

Parents of students requiring isolation, who are residents of the six New England states, will be asked to transport their children by private means to their homes for the duration of the isolation period.

The school has also increased the bed capacity of its Health Center in order to accommodate students who cannot reasonably be transported home while in isolation, Kimball said.

A decision about whether to close down classes will be made by the school's capacity to handle an outbreak of student and staff illnesses, Kimball said. If there is a high number of illnesses, the school could be closed for a short time (perhaps one to two weeks) and students who are able to travel would be sent home, he said.

"We'll take it day by day," he said.

Kimball said the academy also has a rigorous preventive education campaign to mitigate spread of the virus. Hand-sanitizing stations are prevalent on campus. Students and faculty are reminded of proper coughing and sneezing etiquette, and people thinking of visiting the campus are reminded to remain home if they are experiencing influenza-like symptoms, he said.

ldixon@sunjournal.com