Schools are back in session after students across the country got an unexpected break. The government advised schools to shut their doors for two weeks if there was any suspicion of swine flu lingering in the hallways.
Hundreds of schools around the country have followed that guidance and closed schools. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday that the swine flu virus had turned out to be milder than initially feared and the government decided to change its advice. Sebelius says parents should still make sure to keep sick children at home. Those with flulike symptoms should stay home for seven days.
As a result, the government has decided that maybe the advice was premature. Health officials are no longer advising that schools close for cases of swine flu.
"We no longer feel that school closure is warranted," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
