Why weren’t all the Knox County schools closed?
The short answer is: There is no reason to – yet. The recommendation to close a school and cancel school sponsored events is based on an effective strategy known as social distancing or non-pharmacologic interventions (NPI). Since no one has immunity to this new strain of flu virus, public health officials try to slow down transmission by limiting contact of infected groups. Focusing on the location where illness is present is a proven method of slowing disease. By closing just one school, officials hope to slow the spread of H1N1 and decrease disruption in our community. Knox County has one probable case affecting one school, so that school was closed, per CDC guidelines. As more flu cases develop, as they surely will, there is the possibility for more school closings.
