Action Steps to Protect Families, Students, and School Personnel from the Flu this School Year
Dear Little Miami Community Members,
As we begin the 2009-2010 school year, we would like to share some information with you in regards to staying healthy as we approach the upcoming flu season. Students, staff, and families must take personal responsibility for helping to slow the spread of the virus by practicing these steps to keep from getting the flu and to protect others from the flu. The following information and the guidelines are based upon recommendations from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC recommends 4 main ways you and your family may keep from getting the flu:
- Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
- Cover your mouth and nose with tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder; not into your hands.
- Stay home if you or your child is sick for at lease 24 hours after there is no longer a fever (a fever is a temperature that is equal to or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit) or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Keeping sick students at home means that they keep their viruses to themselves rather than sharing them with others. Students and staff with a temperature that is equal or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit will be sent home from school to protect others in our school community.
- Get your family vaccinated for seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 flu when vaccines become available.
Signs and symptoms of the flu: Fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
Tips for taking care of children with the flu:
- Contact your doctor is your child is sick
- Keep your ill child at home until at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of a fever-reducing medicine). Keep your child home unless they need to go to the doctor.
- Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and drinks clear fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks, electrolyte beverages for infants, Pedialyte) to keep from being dehydrated.
- If your child has a fever, use fever-reducing medicines that your doctor recommends based on your child's age. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) should not be given to children and teenagers who have the flu; this can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye's Syndrome.
- Keep your sick child in a separate room in the house as much as possible to limit contact with household members who are not sick.
Watch for emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention: These include fast breathing or troubled breathing, bluish or gray skin color, not drinking enough fluids, nor urinating or no tears when crying, sever or persistent vomiting, not waking up or not interacting, being so irritable that the child does not want to be held, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion, or flu-like symptoms improve but return with fever and worse cough.
Follow these steps to prepare for the flu during the 2009-2010 school year:
- Plan for child care at home if your child gets sick or their school is dismissed.
- Plan to monitor the health of the sick child and any other children in the household by checking for fever and other symptoms of the flu.
- Indentify if you have children who are at higher risk of serious diseases from the flu and talk to your healthcare provider about a plan to protect them during the flu season. Children at high risk of serious disease from the flu include: children under 5 years of age and those children with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma or diabetes.
- Identify a separate room in the house for the care of sick family members.
- Updated emergency contact lists.
- Collect games, books, DVDs and other items to keep your family entertained if schools are dismissed or your child is sick and must stay home.
For more information visit: www.flu.gov
Please don't hesitate to contact your building principal or school nurse with any questions or concerns. We will continue to follow the recommendations of the CDC and our state and local health departments. We will keep our school community informed as we receive updates. Our ultimate goal is to minimize the spread of infection and keep our schools functioning in a normal manner during this flu season.
Respectfully,
Little Miami Local School District
