Harvest Prep cancels Spring Fling due to lingering swine flu threat

Though the threat of swine flu is waning in Yuma County, some schools are still taking it very seriously.
  
Harvest Preparatory Academy was slated to host the third annual Spring Fling Fair and Open House Saturday, but canceled the event to prevent the spread of any remaining virus.
 
To date, there have been 23 confirmed cases in Yuma County, and school officials said they are heeding warnings by the Centers for Disease Control about the risks of large gatherings.
 
"There has been no one at our school who has had swine flu, and by proceeding with this event, we would be taking a step backwards," said Mario J. Ybarra Sr., school administrator. "Prevention is the key here."
 
According to the CDC, in crowded settings, it is difficult to maintain physical space between people and reduce the frequency of close contact.
  
At such gatherings, participants frequently have social personal contact like handshaking and hugging. As a result, there may be increased risk for the spread of the influenza A (H1N1) virus among attendees, which may cause a subsequent spread of illness in the community.
 
Ybarra said the event usually attracts thousands of people, and the close proximity would allow for the rapid spread of the virus, if present, from person to person.
 
"We usually encourage our students to bring their families to the event. We have 900 students and if you include their parents and extended family their could be between 2,000 and 5,000 people here who live all over the county. If any of them has the virus, or has a strand of it, a gathering like this could be breeding ground for it."
 
Ybarra said the decision was made after the staff took into consideration feelings of anxious parents.
 
"Several parents voiced concern about holding the event at this time. The students wanted the event to continue, but we decided to acquiesce to the parents' wishes and not take the risk, even though the threat is not as grave as it once was. The virus may still be around in the community, and we are doing our best to make sure our students and staff stay safe."
 
Addie Santillan, who leads the School Emergency Response Team (SERT), said her team has done its best to curb any potential outbreak of the virus in the school.
 
"We have done everything possible to take precautions within the building. We have provided masks for the students and actually bought out the stock of alcohol-based sanitizer at Sam's Club. With a large event like this, we would not be able to access the sanitation supplies needed to accommodate such a large amount of people."
 
"Schoolwide we have been taking this threat very seriously from day one," said Chad Van Haren, community relations coordinator. "That is why the administration has decided to cancel the Spring Fling, because the health of our students is very important to us."