"People ask why we are dismissing students," said Dr. Wilma Wooten on Saturday.
It's the common question, especially for parents of a few thousand students from three San Diego County High Schools.
Kearny High, Mission Hills High, and the San Diego School for Creative and Performing Arts were closed this week after a suspected case of swine flu at each school. If the cases are confirmed, the schools would stay closed for two weeks. Nationwide, more than 400 schools have been closed.
Kevin Holt, the superintendent for the San Marcos Unified School District, said if the school stays open for two weeks, it's likely that time would not be made up at a later date. Holt is urging parents of students at Mission Hills to keep their kids at home.
"This isn't just a free holiday."
Doctor Wooten said she's aware of the burden this puts on parents, and the problems associated with missed time in the classroom. However, she responds to critics of the decision by saying that kids are shown to spread this virus more easily.
"We find that children harbor the virus much longer," said Wooten.
There are currently 11 confirmed cases of swine flu in San Diego County. There are 19 more probable cases waiting for confirmation from the lab, and likely more on the way.
Wooten said there is no way of knowing how many suspected cases there are in the county right now.
Local
U.S health officials say there are now 226 confirmed cases of swine flu in 30 states. Health officials say 24 of those cases are in California.
So far, doctors admit the virus has been no more dangerous than the common seasonal flu. When asked why there is so much attention, and hype around this outbreak Wooten said it's because humans have no immunity to this never-before-seen strain of flu.
She adds that influenza has the ability to mutate at any time and become more deadly.
