By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-854681.mp3
Dallas, TX –
Arlington is getting ready for the Swine Flu this fall. The city is launching a public "prevention" campaign. KERA's BJ Austin says the citywide effort extends from the schools to the new Cowboys stadium.
Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck, a doctor himself, expects Swine Flu, or the H1N1 virus, to return in the fall, along with seasonal flu. Swine flu's first appearance in the U.S. last spring closed several Texas school districts, including Fort Worth. Arlington School Superintendent Jerry McCullough and Mayor Cluck want schools, businesses, and entertainment venues to promote the citywide campaign featuring the three C's: clean, cover, and contain - wash your hands, cover your mouth, and stay home if you're sick.
McCullough: Schools in which we had some outbreaks, we had good communication through the telephone, in person, emails thru which we tried to keep them informed. We had some great cooperation, and we plan to have the same in the future. It's a matter of communications, and we've just got to communicate, communicate and communicate. And let everybody know what the situation is and ways to prevent it.
Cluck: And that's exactly why we're here today, to start the process of communication and to try to take the fear factor out of the flu, both types of flu.
At Shackelford Jr. High, 8th graders Samantha Reyes and Ivy Antones were registering for classes. They want more information about swine flu, and how to help prevent it.
8th graders: I think it's scary. Can you die from it? You gotta get shots for it?
Mayor Cluck says a vaccine for the H1N1 virus should be available to first responders and those identified as "at risk" in October and for general consumption in December.
Shackelford Jr. High school "parent" Tracey Ernest says she's not particularly worried about an outbreak at the school She works in a day care center, and says after last spring's Swine Flu scare, she knows the drill - and so does everybody else.
Ernest: We're washing everything, sanitizing everything, hand washing all the time.
That's just what Mayor Cluck wants to hear. He says the clean, cover and contain posters will go up everywhere around town, including in the new Cowboys stadium, which is expected to draw as many as 100 thousand people per event. He does NOT expect Swine Flu to shut down any of the activities at the stadium or surrounding venues.
Cluck: There was some discussion last time as to whether we should call off a Rangers game and we did not. And we think that that is not a risky maneuver. When I say we will not, of course, that's subject to change, but that is our plan. We want to take a real proactive stance. Once you get in the heat of the battle of having flu, or swine flu, things move pretty rapidly. So we have to have a plan in place not to be reactive, but to be proactive. And that's what our folks are doing.
Fort Worth school officials say they, too, will roll out a big campaign to wash your hands, cover your mouth, and stay home if you're sick. School starts August 24th.