A letter sent to parents and guardians of local schoolchildren this week, with tips for avoiding catching and spreading the swine flue, along with advice regarding possible school closures, was a good first step, and schools need to continue getting all the information they have about this flu out to the public.

There's certainly no need to panic, and we don't believe that preemptively closing schools or canceling get-togethers is warranted at this time, but the public needs to be made aware of possible local swine flu cases, and simple precautions should be taken by everyone.

If this new strain of flu begins to affect people locally, public and private health workers and school officials will be the first to recognize it. If that happens, the public needs to be made immediately aware so that people will be able to make informed choices about whether to avoid crowds or whether to send their children to school.

And school administrators will be pivotal in helping to keep a potential flu outbreak from spreading by making fast and smart decisions about temporarily closing school buildings.

At the most basic level, individuals can take simple steps to avoid catching and spreading the flu by being vigilant about hand-washing, covering the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing and staying home from work or school if they experience symptoms like high fever, aches, extreme fatigue, and stomach ailments like vomiting and diarrhea.

Parents should also be making backup plans for work and child-care issues that might arise in the event of a school closure.

Local health and school officials are in the most important positions to keep Cayuga County residents informed about - and prepared for - any developments regarding swine flu, and we urge them to continue to be vigilant and to keep the public apprised of any updates.

There is no need to be scared, but we should all be prepared.