Two eastern Doniphan County school districts have taken steps to safeguard students after several cases of the H1N1 virus were reported among the student body.

Mike Newman, superintendent of schools in the Elwood and Wathena districts, said all buildings have been disinfected and that the three ill students have either recovered or are recovering.

"I think they've all been cleared" by physicians to return, Mr. Newman said of the cases - two in Elwood and one in Wathena.

The Wathena student was not in class Monday. The case was discovered Friday, but the district did not hold classes that day. Parents were notified of the situation through notes that were distributed Monday.

A defogging machine was used to spray disinfectant in all campus buildings over the weekend, Mr. Newman said. Friday was also a day off for students in the Elwood district, which allowed cleaning procedures to take place in their absence.

Ill students have been told not to return to class unless their fever has broken for 24 hours.

"We asked that the parents not send their kids to school if they had flu-like symptoms," he said.

Hand sanitizer stations have now been installed in all Wathena classrooms, according to Mr. Newman. Hand sanitizer were already available to students and staff in all Elwood buildings.