PHARR‑SAN JUAN‑ALAMO ISD health services outlines avian influenza precautions, free flu clinics for livestock handlers

Silvia Mazzolis, director of health services and coordinator for the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC), told members the district is monitoring avian influenza and coordinating with Hidalgo County and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mazzolis said there have been 66 confirmed human cases of avian influenza in the United States so far and that health services is emphasizing prevention steps for students and families who have contact with birds or other livestock. She said the district will host free seasonal influenza vaccination clinics at the health services office for people who tell the district they work with livestock or birds so they can be eligible for the free shots.

Why it matters: district staff said their concern is not only birds infecting other birds but the potential for transmission to livestock and, rarely, to people. The district cited risks of contamination of water and feed and noted several PSJA households and six PSJA elementary campuses have chickens or livestock used for school shows.

Health services listed concrete precautions the district is promoting: avoid touching dead birds, report sick or dead poultry to the listed county/state phone numbers, wash hands after contact with animals, and stay up to date on seasonal influenza vaccination. Mazzolis said the flu shot will not prevent avian influenza but could reduce the risk that human seasonal influenza combines with avian strains and creates a more dangerous form of illness.

District staff said they have distributed posters (English and Spanish) to ag farms on district property, are requesting additional protective supplies (gloves, hand sanitizer) from the state, and will meet with campus agricultural staff to review reporting and student education plans. Mazzolis said the district is monitoring CDC guidance and coordinating with Hidalgo County public‑health officials.

The presentation closed with a reminder that the district will ask staff and students to stay home when they are ill with respiratory symptoms and that further testing can be done for people who have influenza A or B to determine whether avian influenza is present.

Ending: SHAC members asked clarifying questions about eligibility for the free shots; Mazzolis said eligibility is based on self‑report of regular contact with livestock or birds and that clinics will be scheduled in the coming days at the health services office.