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Less than a week after President Barrack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, the pandemic seems to be having a limited impact on the Kenai Peninsula.

But health officials and administrators remain concerned.

"We're not seeing a huge increase in numbers yet," said Naomi Walsworth, the health services coordinator for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. "It seems like other states have been experiencing some real waves where they've had to close schools."

Nationally, at least 351 schools were closed last week alone -- affecting 126,000 students in 19 states, according to the U.S. Education Department. So far this school year, about 600 schools have temporarily shut their doors.

So far the district has not closed any schools as a result of flu outbreaks according to district administrators.

Walsworth said peninsula schools also seem to have been hit less hard than other districts around the state.

She said within the district a notable trend has been documented where the flu has traveled from building to building, infecting a number of students and staff, and then tapering off.

Dave Jones, assistant superintendent for the district, has been tracking absence numbers, and said this is the trend he's seen as well.

"The pattern we'll see is to have a particular school that will increase to a certain number, and then go back down," Jones said.

This is the first year the district has actively tracked flu related absences.

When parents call in to say their student won't make it to class, Jones said staff are asking parents to confirm if their child is exhibiting symptoms.

So far he said the highest rate of flu related absences at any individual school has been in the range of eight to nine percent of the building's student population.

Jones wasn't sure at what percentage they would decide to close a school.

Walsworth noted that smaller schools were more likely to feel the impact of absences than larger ones.

"In the smaller schools we might notice it when a large part of the population is not there," she said. "The bigger schools can absorb a little more."

Jones called the flu impacts "day to day," explaining that just this week district wide flu absences went from 131 on Monday to 37 on Wednesday.

The district has 8,358 students, not including those in the Connections Home-school Program.

Walsworth and Jones credited the mild impact in the schools to the district's efforts to educate students and staff on hand washing; sneezing into sleeves, not hands; encouraging those with symptoms to stay home and sending staff, students and visitors home if they showed symptoms while in the buildings.

Walsworth said it's also helped that in several cases flu related absences have started to rise late in the week, providing for a few days of respite over the weekend.

"Knock on wood, what were seeing are not real severe symptoms and they're not lasting," Jones said. "We're seeing a three to four day recovery time."

Camille Sorensen, a spokesperson for Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, said the hospital has not confirmed any cases of swine flu and is not testing for the disease unless a patient is admitted.

"A patient could arrive at the hospital with the flu but we wouldn't do a lab test to confirm it unless they were so sick they had to be admitted," Sorensen said.

Walsworth said the district plans to continue their policy of sending people home and encouraging flu prevention hygiene, but remains weary.

"This flu is different," she said. "The over 65 population is not as susceptible and the people hospitalized from the flu have mostly been children."

According to Walsworth, an average of 44 to 86 children die nationally from the seasonal flu during a typical season, which lasts from November to December.

This year, she said 97 children have died nationally from the flu, with seven more suspected.

"People think it's not a big deal," she said. "In reality this is a big deal because so many people who are so young are being effected."

While swine flu vaccines remain available only in limited quantities, Walsworth said she encourages people to get one.

"We do hope that by the second week of November we'll have enough to vaccinate at our schools," she said.

Doreen Leavitt, the state's public health nursing manager for the Kenai Public Health Center recommended people contact their primary caregiver first to see if they meet the high priority criteria for vaccination and to make sure vaccines are available.

Vaccines are also available in limited supply from the health center.

"Go to your primary caregiver first," she said. "Eventually we will have enough to give them to whoever wants one, but that's dependent on manufacturing and when we receive our doses."

Leavitt said to contact the health center directly at 335-3400 or the borough's flu hotline, 714-2428 to find out about the availability of vaccines locally.

Dante Petri can be reached at dante.petri@peninsulaclarion.com