Details:

Alternative Title:
BMC Public Health
Personal Author:
Klaiman, Tamar ; Kraemer, John D ; Stoto, Michael A
Klaiman, Tamar ; Kraemer, John D ; Stoto, Michael A Less -
Description:
Background

School closure was employed as a non-pharmaceutical intervention against pandemic 2009 H1N1, particularly during the first wave. More than 700 schools in the United States were closed. However, closure decisions reflected significant variation in rationales, decision triggers, and authority for closure. This variability presents the opportunity for improved efficiency and decision-making.

Methods

We identified media reports relating to school closure as a response to 2009 H1N1 by monitoring high-profile sources and searching Lexis-Nexis and Google news alerts, and reviewed reports for key themes. News stories were supplemented by observing conference calls and meetings with health department and school officials, and by discussions with decision-makers and community members.

Results

There was significant variation in the stated goal of closure decision, including limiting community spread of the virus, protecting particularly vulnerable students, and responding to staff shortages or student absenteeism. Because the goal of closure is relevant to its timing, nature, and duration, unclear rationales for closure can challenge its effectiveness. There was also significant variation in the decision-making authority to close schools in different jurisdictions, which, in some instances, was reflected in open disagreement between school and public health officials. Finally, decision-makers did not appear to expect the level of scientific uncertainty encountered early in the pandemic, and they often expressed significant frustration over changing CDC guidance.

Conclusions

The use of school closure as a public health response to epidemic disease can be improved by ensuring that officials clarify the goals of closure and tailor closure decisions to those goals. Additionally, authority to close schools should be clarified in advance, and decision-makers should expect to encounter uncertainty disease emergencies unfold and plan accordingly.


Subjects:
[+]
Communicable Disease Control Decision Making Disease Outbreaks Humans Influenza, Human Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype Mass Media Public Policy Schools
Source:
BMC Public Health. 2011; 11:73.
Pubmed ID:
21284865
Pubmed Central ID:
PMC3039590
Document Type:
Journal Article
Funding:
5P01TP000307-01/TP/OPHPR CDC HHS/United States
Place as Subject:
United States
Collection(s):
CDC Public Access
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:4435a6ec357b979dd8af920f782f8cd0d2f556185710c4ef1fccabf7400d1613
Download URL:
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/22838/cdc_22838_DS1.pdf
File Type:

Supporting Files

• 	1471-2458-11-73.nxml	txt
  	license.txt	txt

More +