Minnesota officials urged families to plan for swine flu school absences

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ST. PAUL — The state Health Department is recommending that families have a plan for what they are going to do if a child gets the swine flu this fall and has to stay home from school for a week or more.

Assistant Commissioner John Linc Stine said if the flu hits hard, sick students are probably going to be told to stay home longer than during a normal flu season.

That means families should start planning now, either by arranging for alternate child care or by making arrangements with the parents’ employers.

Stine noted the swine flu is unlike the typical seasonal flu. For one thing, healthy young people are prone to catching it, which makes it a particularly big threat to schools.

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