WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT H1N1 (swine) FLU

The media is full of information on the latest developments of the H1N1 virus.  While it is a good thing for all of us to stay abreast of the current recommendations, let’s also work to bring calmness and common sense into the picture.   The Center for Disease Control (CDC) continues to be the authority for information concerning H1N1 virus and can be accessed at www.flu.gov.  And the experts from the CDC have actually identified several things that you and I can do now to decrease the spread of germs for ourselves and our children.  Following is an excerpt from their document:  “Preparing for the Flu:  a Communication Toolkit for Schools (Grades K-12)”

Action Steps for Parents to Protect Your Child and Family from the Flu this School Year

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends several ways you and your family may keep from getting sick with the flu at school and at home:

1.        1.  Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water   especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effec­tive.

2.       2.     Cover your mouth and nose with a 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.

3.       3.     Stay home if you or your child is sick for at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine). Keep­ing sick students at home means that they keep their viruses to themselves rather than sharing them with others.

4.       Get your family vaccinated for seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 flu when vaccines are available.

5.       Plan for child care at home if your child gets sick or their school is dismissed.

6.       Plan to monitor the health of a sick child or any other children in the household (by checking fever and other symptoms of flu.)

7.       Identify children who are at higher risk of serious disease from the flu and talk with your healthcare provider about a plan to protect them during the flu season.

And here are some of the things we are doing at the school:

Action Steps for Schools to Prevent the Spread of Flu

1.       Educate and encourage students and staff to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. Also, provide them with easy access to tis­sues and running water and soap or alcohol-based hand cleaners. Remind them to cover coughs or sneezes using their elbow instead of their hand when a tissue is not available.

2.       Remind teachers, staff, and students to practice good hand hygiene and provide the time and supplies for them to wash their hands as often as necessary.

3.       Send sick students, teachers, and staff home and advise them and their fami­lies that sick people should stay at home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine).

4.       Clean surfaces and items that are more likely to have frequent hand contact such as desks, door knobs, keyboards, or pens, with cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas.

5.       Move students, teachers, and staff to a separate room if they become sick at school until they can be sent home. Limit the number of staff who take care of the sick person and provide a surgical mask for the sick person to wear if they can tolerate it.

6.       Have Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks available and en­sure the equipment is worn by school nurses and other staff caring for sick people at school.

7.       Encourage early medical evaluation for sick students and staff at higher risk of complications from flu. People at high risk of flu complications who get sick will benefit from early treatment with antiviral medicines.

8.       Stay in regular communication with local public health officials.

Let’s all partner together to do what we can to fight the spread of all germs!

Susy Marcum, RN, BSN, Certified School Nurse