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As the start of the new school year approaches, Jewish day schools and synagogues have taken precautions against what is predicted to be a particularly severe flu season, due to a return of the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as the swine flu.

According to the World Health Organization, there have been nearly 46,000 confirmed swine flu cases in the United States, including 436 that have proven fatal. In New Jersey, the swine flu has resulted in 510 hospitalizations including 16 deaths, according to the state's Department of Health and Senior Services.

Though the prevalence of swine flu has diminished since it first appeared last spring, public health officials and experts are concerned about its return this fall.

"Because the H1N1 virus does not replace other seasonal flues, we are preparing for more flues this season because of the combination. We are preparing for a more difficult flu season this year," said Artealia Gilliard, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Yet, officials and experts say that the scale of any potential swine flu outbreak this fall remains to be seen.

"Influenza can be unpredictable," Gilliard said. "We don't know how many people will become ill."

Jennifer Lachance, a doctoral candidate in public health at the University of California, Berkeley who specializes in preparedness for disaster situations, agreed that the spread of the flu is unpredictable, though she cited the severity of last spring's swine flu outbreak as a reason to be concerned.

"We don't know exactly what will happen this coming fall," Lachance said. "Yet, the way it's affecting not only the elderly, but also young to middle-aged people is concerning."

In light of these warnings, day schools and religious schools are implementing measures to safeguard their students, while making sure that normal operations continue unabated.

Rabbi Rebecca Epstein, assistant rabbi at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick and coordinator of the temple's religious school, said that the school was preparing for the swine flu, while ensuring that the school year runs smoothly. The synagogue plans to send out the CDC's guidelines to parents, which advises parents to keep their children at home if they exhibit flu-like symptoms and maintain adequate hygiene, among other recommendations.

Though Epstein has not heard concerns from parents about swine flu, she said she understands the need to take precautions.

"As a parent myself, I want parents to feel as comfortable as possible," Epstein said, adding that she does not believe that the flu season will disrupt the school's operations. "Remember that it is a school, and we're not going to close down."

The Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley, in East Brunswick, began to implement preventative measures when the virus first appeared last spring, said Dr. Howard Rosenblatt, the head of school.

"We're trying to be very comprehensive," Rosenblatt said.

The Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley has sent families information from the CDC, state, and regional health commissions, and has adhered to the CDC's guidelines.

The school has ramped up cleaning at night, focusing on locations that come into frequent contact with many students, such as doorknobs and bathrooms; required teachers to make sure that students wash their hands with soap and water before eating; and insisted that parents keep children home if they exhibit flu-like symptoms and remain at home at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines, in accordance with the CDC's recommendation.

"We're careful to check why the kid was out of school and we'll continue to do so," Rosenblatt said. The school has also established a subcommittee to deal with issues like the swine flu.

For Lachance, this concern about the swine flu provides a "great opportunity for smaller organizations to learn from larger ones." Small institutions have typically lagged behind their larger counterparts in taking preventative measures against public health threats due to fewer resources, she explained.

According to Lachance, measures such as developing a communication plan to effectively relay important information to members and encouraging good hygiene are both easy and effective.

"There are easy and tangible things we can do on a regular basis," she said. "It's a great opportunity because people are focusing on this issue."