H1N1 "Swine" Flu Closes Local High School

I'm still a little baffled. There have been less than 20 people killed by this flu. The "normal" flu kills about 36,000 Americans each year. The 1918 "Spanish" flu killed over 600,000 people. I still haven't heard anyone say what makes the H1N1 flu unique or a concern.

On a personal note, we found out tonight that my son's High School will be closing for 2 weeks. I included the letter to the parents.

Dear Parent/Guardian:
As you know, H1N1 influenza A virus (also known as swine flu) has been detected in San Diego County residents, several of them children. I want to share with you what the situation is at your child’s school, how the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency’s Division of Public Health Services is responding, and what you can do.
We have been working closely with individual schools to determine if students might have been exposed to the virus. We have determined a student that attends XXXXX High School has a probable infection with H1N1 influenza A virus. Under the guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and in a
decision made jointly between Public Health Services and the XXXXX Unified School District, we are closing XXXXX High School for a period of 14 days. The closure dates will be from 05/02/2009 to 05/15/2009 with the school being allowed to reopen on 05/18/2009. This closure includes all school-sponsored activities, such as sports or school dances.

Please understand this does not mean that your child has been directly exposed to the H1N1 virus. However, you should watch your child over the next 14 days to see if he/she develops the symptoms of: fever (100 degrees or higher), cough, sore throat, and runny nose.