See what the school is doing to prepare for the "Flu Season"
by Web Development Team
August 31, 2009
WHAT IS THE SCHOOL DOING TO PREPARE FOR THE “FLU SEASON?”
In response to some of your questions as parents and members of the community regarding the upcoming flu season, Bridgeport Public Schools would like to assure you that we are, and will continue to be, in close and regular contact with the Nebraska Department of Health, the Panhandle Public Health District, and the Center for Disease Control in our effort to prevent the spread of any communicable disease/infection.
H1N1, swine flu, influenza…as we have witnessed in the media reports this past week, flu season has already begun; and, we will continue to work towards keeping the environment safe for all in attendance at school – including our employees, our students, their families, and members of our community!
Perhaps it would be beneficial for all involved to know what exactly is being recommended by health organizations, and how the school is responding to those recommendations.
Recommended school responses for the 2009-2010 school year
For those areas where the current flu conditions are similar to the severity of the flu season as in the spring of 2009, the Center for Disease Control is recommending the following steps:
Stay home when sick: Those with flu-like illness should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines. They should stay home even if they are using antiviral drugs. (For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/exclusion.htm.)
This is perhaps the single most important step that we can take. Too many times, we think as parents that by giving our child some Tylenol or Ibuprofen to bring the fever down that their child is not infectious. This IS NOT TRUE! These medications serve their purpose to suppress the fever and help the child feel better, but they do not rid the body of the infectious organism; thus, the next day the child may experience a relapse to the previous day’s symptoms.
Separate ill students and staff: Students and staff who appear to have flu-like illness should be sent to a room separate from others until they can be sent home.
Students who present symptoms to a teacher at Bridgeport Public Schools are referred to the School Nurse’s office where an assessment of the symptoms can be documented. Based on guidelines from the Nebraska Department of Health, the school nurse determines if school exclusion for the student is necessary. Additionally, weekly surveillance numbers of school absentee rates are reported to the Panhandle Public Health District in order to monitor regional responses to communicable diseases/infections. Only the numbers of students are reported to the public health district to maintain confidentiality – names of students and staff are NOT released by the school. If your child experiences a contagious illness, it is beneficial for the school nurse to know this to aid in the surveillance of others suffering from the same contagion.
Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette: The new recommendations emphasize the importance of the basic foundations of influenza prevention: stay home when sick, wash hands frequently with soap and water when possible, and cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or a shirt sleeve or elbow if no tissue is available).
At Bridgeport Public Schools, hand sanitizers with an alcohol sanitization base gel are provided in each classroom. These are not to replace the use of soap and water; but rather, they are present to promote frequent hand cleansing throughout the day when a trip to the restroom for hand washing is not feasible. For example, it is not realistic to thing that a teacher can dismiss every student that coughs or sneezes into their hands to the restroom to wash their hands. These are times when the hand sanitizer allows for a quick disinfectant while maintaining valuable educational time in the classroom.
Routine cleaning: School staff should routinely clean areas that students and staff touch often with the cleaners they typically use. Special cleaning with bleach and other non-detergent-based cleaners is not necessary.
At Bridgeport Public Schools, janitorial staff have been reassigned to cover the hours when the most people are in school. The frequency of cleaning the rest rooms, door handles, and water fountains has been increased also.
Early treatment of high-risk students and staff: People at high risk for influenza complications who become ill with influenza-like illness should speak with their health care provider as soon as possible. Early treatment with antiviral medications is very important for people at high risk because it can prevent hospitalizations and deaths. People at high risk include those who are pregnant, have asthma or diabetes, have compromised immune systems, or have neuromuscular diseases.
The Panhandle Public Health District and the Bridgeport Public Schools have formulated a plan in the event that vaccination for H1N1 to all students and staff is recommended by the Center for Disease Control for our area. This determination will be based on the population of reported cases of H1N1, and the overall population at risk for the area. A student will never be vaccinated without the consent of a parent. The plan for a School Located Influenza Vaccination Clinic is only a precautionary measure if needed and the recommendation of the Panhandle Public Health District!
Consideration of selective school dismissal: Although there are not many schools where all or most students are at high risk (for example, schools for medically fragile children or for pregnant students) a community might decide to dismiss such a school to better protect these high-risk students.
Bridgeport Public Schools and the Panhandle Public Health District are in regular contact with each other regarding the “flu” status for the school, the community, and the region. School dismissal will be a mutual decision made by school administrators based on the recommendations from the Public Health District and the Center for Disease Control.
If you have any questions, or if you have additional concerns, please feel free to contact an administrator or Tammy Dean, RN, BSN, School Nurse at 262-0346 or 262-1574.
