Closing schools reduced flu deaths in 1918

Cities that quickly closed schools and discouraged public gatherings had fewer deaths from the great flu pandemic in 1918 than cities that did not, researchers reported on Monday....

"Cities in which multiple interventions were implemented at an early phase of the epidemic had peak death rates about 50 percent lower than those that did not," they wrote in their report, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In Kansas City, no more than 20 people could attend weddings or funerals. New York mandated staggered shifts at factories. In Seattle, the mayor told people to wear face masks.

No single action worked on its own, the researchers found, it was the combination of measures that saved lives.

I thought this was interesting, and I wonder if that means anything for us homeschoolers.

I thought, when we decided to homeschool, that we'd spend a lot less time being sick than we would if the kids were in school. That doesn't seem to be true. I think it's because we're always out and about so we're getting exposed all the time. I do know some families who are homeschooling for health reasons, and they do tend to catch less as they are home more and more careful about their contacts.

Also, before I started homeschooling, I thought that my kids wouldn't learn all the vile and nasty things those public school kids teach each other all day at school. Now, with a few years under my belt, I believe that much of that stuff just manifests itself whether they've heard it somewhere else or not. I think it's just hardwired into their brains in utero.

For instance, even though they're not in school, they've shown natural ability in such things as playing "mercy," and announcing "I see London, I see France..." Of course, they didn't quite show proficiency with that one, because they were pulling up their shorts and saying, "I see London, I see France, I see *my own* underpants." I never said they were geniuses.

Long post short (too late), I'd like to think that homeschooling will keep us healthier in the event of a major pandemic, but judging by all this other stuff I doubt that our methods of homeschooling will be any protection.

Labels: homeschooling, medical, newsworthy