Simple steps to take to fight the flu

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine cancelled his trip to Grove Park Preschool on Thursday, but that didn’t stop the kids from showing off what they’ve learned about the basics of preventing the spread of flu.

Those under the age of 24 and pregnant women are believed to be the most at-risk group for getting the flu this year and they will probably be among the first to be vaccinated for H1N1.

Eventually, everyone will be able to get a flu shot — and should get it.

But the basics of controlling the spread of H1N1 — or whatever bug makes its way around this year — doesn’t really change: Stay home if you’re sick, wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough and your nose when you sneeze.

“It’s important to emphasize that even though the H1N1 flu is new, our preparedness is not new,” said Doug Cox, assistant superintendent of special education and student services for the Department of Education. “We have been preparing for the last few years for a pandemic influenza such as this.”

This year, the state and local school districts — including Danville and Pittsylvania County — may hold H1N1 flu vaccination clinics in the public schools to get most of the young people in the community vaccinated early.

That makes sense, of course.

As any parent knows, when kids start getting sick at a school or daycare center, it’s not long before a lot of them get sick with the same thing. What’s new about H1N1 is that it appears to have targeted those under 24 and pregnant women, making those the targeted group for the first round of immunizations.

“Kids share germs,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Karen Remley. “We are watching (the flu’s progress) closely on a state level … The best way to protect yourself is to get the vaccine.”

After that, of course, comes the commonsense, what-Mom-always-told-you advice about keeping your germs to yourself.

The kids at Grove Park Preschool turned that advice into a lovely presentation last week.

But how well we all heed those warnings will help to determine just how disruptive H1N1 will be this year.