Schools cancel programs to contain H1N1

GRAFTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Not too many miles from western Massachusetts Hundreds of students are sick, and school officials don't want the problem to get worse.

22News went to the town of Grafton in Worcester County. We found that limited contact with others, clear fluids and lots of rest seems to be the best prescription for students who attend school there.

On Thursday, 236 students were absent and 15 faculty members called in sick. Each reported having flu-like symptoms.

To make sure the suspected swine flu outbreak stops here, the Grafton School Department has taken the drastic step of closing the high school for two days and canceling all sports and extracurricular activities.

Nicol Boria of Millbury says the school made the right decision. Boria tells 22News, "I'm not worried about it, because I really think that they need to shut it down, and get rid of the flu before they open it back up."

A Razzberries restaurant in Grafton, not everyone is convinced the outbreak can be controlled by simply closing the high school.

Local parent William Spalding says, "My biggest concern is that, with the high school being closed, and the number of kids that seem to have the flu in high school, that they're going to have brothers and sisters that are in elementary schools which are not closed, and that's going to get passed to our son."

State health officials say they're working under the assumption that the H1N1 virus is responsible for the outbreak, because there's no evidence that the seasonal flu has arrived in Massachusetts yet.