“There are no confirmed cases of swine flu in Mississippi at this time,” Biloxi schools chief Dr. Paul A. Tisdale told Biloxi school administrators this afternoon, “but we want to do everything that we can now to be prepared for when it does.”

Tisdale, superintendent of Biloxi Public Schools, briefed school principals, nurses, and cafeteria and custodial managers about steps the district is taking to minimize exposure to the swine flu, which has led to temporary closings in 300 school districts across the country.

H1N1 -- commonly called Swine Flu -- is a respiratory virus caused by influenza viruses. To date, more than 140 laboratory-confirmed cases of this type of flu have been reported in 19 states.

The school will send home informational fliers with its 4,700 students on Monday, alerting parents to steps they can take at home.

Among the most-repeated tips for students and parents: Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze; and wash your hands often.

Next week, the district’s maintenance staff will install dispensers of sanitizing foam at high traffic common areas at each of the 11 schools in the district.

“I want our teachers to take a moment to review the proper hand-washing techniques with their students and to remember to cough or sneeze into their elbow,” Tisdale said. “We do not want to leave these things to chance. What we’re doing here is being pro-active.

“Foremost and paramount is student safety.”

A new page has been added to the Biloxi Public Schools web site to display information about how to minimize the risk of swine flu. Click on the "Fight the Flu" icon for more information.

Among the links on the page are:

--- Informational flier on healthy habits (to be delivered to parents Monday)

---Q&A about swine flu

---Video of a media briefing by State Education Superintedent Dr. Hank Bounds on May 1, 2009