TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Vacation Bible school student may have swine flu

Tribune photo by CHRIS URSO

Brandon Kelly, left, hands a flier to a motorist at the entrance to Bell Shoals Baptist Church Sunday.

ADVERTISEMENT

TBO.com

Published: July 18, 2009

Updated: 07/19/2009 08:10 pm

BRANDON - Bell Shoals Baptist Church is asking members with flulike symptoms to stay home after a child attending its vacation Bible school was identified as a possible swine flu case.

"We were notified that one of the little children was diagnosed with this type A Influenza and that testing was being done," said George Thomasson, associate pastor at the church. "We would not know if it was Swine flu for two or three days till the testing came back."

Still, church officials were taking no chances. After consulting with the county health department, a decision was made to sanitize the building where vacation Bible school takes place, Thomasson said.

"We didn't want to overreact but didn't want to under-react either," Thomasson said.

Members on their way into church Sunday were handed fliers advising them to stay home if they have such symptoms.

Bell Shoals Baptist, one of Brandon's largest churches, also posted a notice on its Web site asking that anyone who developed flu-like symptoms in the past week not to attend services, classes or events and to stay home for seven days after the onset of symptoms.

It was late last week that church officials contacted the Hillsborough County Health Department about the child's illness, said Warren McDougle, the department's epidemiology program manager.

The child tested positive for Influenza A, and roughly 97 percent of Influenza A cases convert to H1N1 or swine flu, McDougle said.

"As far as I know, the child's fine," he said.

Anyone with flu-like symptoms who has been at Bell Shoals or its vacation Bible school is asked to call the church office at (813) 689-4229, ext. 504.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT