SEBASTIAN — The Boys & Girls Club of Sebastian is operating as usual after two children were diagnosed with Swine flu. Neither child was sick while at the club, according to officials.
“There haven’t been any other cases,” said Ronnie Hewett, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Indian River County. The Indian River County Health Department confirmed Wednesday afternoon that the club did indeed register two confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus and that Hewett had contacted the department for assistance.
“We have this virus all over the county,” said Linda Young, a community health nursing supervisor at the health department.
Hewett said that the Sebastian Boys & Girls Club gave parents fliers notifying them of the two individual cases and how they could help prevent the spread of the virus. The club also purchased hand sanitizer and sanitizing sprays to use on shared equipment, according to Hewett.
The Sebastian club serves between 125 and 130 children Monday through Friday over the summer.
Hewett said it’s important for parents of young children to be careful and take precautions when it comes to the flu.
“There’s only so much the agencies can do,” Hewett said.
On a county basis, Young said that nearly every person – 98 percent – who tests positive for Influenza Type A actually has Swine flu.
“Everything that we’re seeing is H1N1,” Young said.
Both Young and Hewett recommend residents to visit the Center for Disease Control’s Web site, http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu for more information on prevention and recognizing the signs.
