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1/2008 When to Keep Students Home from School and Influenza Home Care:
During cold and flu season, parents often wonder when they should keep their children at home when they are sick. Following are some guidelines for keeping your child home or why they may be sent home if they develop symptoms during the school day.
- Fever greater than 100.0 degrees. A fever let's us know that our body is fighting something off. We are contagious during this time and need rest. Students should be fever free for at least 24 hours before returning to school.
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea. Students should stay home for 24 hours after to make sure they can keep food/liquids down.
- Sore throat with a fever greater than 100.0 degrees. Students should stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours. If they are diagnosed with Strep throat, then they should stay home until they have been on the antibiotics for 24 hours.
- Excessive coughing that produces thick mucous. Students should stay home if they are coughing so much it keeps them from participating in class or disrupts their classmates, or they are coughing so hard it is causing vomiting.
Of course there are always exceptions, so use your best judgement, you know your child better than anyone. Your school nurse is a great resource for you. Feel free to contact her with any questions you might have regarding your children's health. Thank you for assisting with keeping our schools a healthy place to attend.
 CLICK HERE for a flyer from the health department. It will explain how to care for yourself or a loved one at home who has seasonal flu.
2/2008 What is the Difference Between Seasonal and Pandemic Flu?
The link below outlines the differences between Seasonal Influenza and an Influenza Pandemic. Every year seasonal influenza affects the United States. However, the last flu pandemics were in 1968-69 (Hong Kong Flu), 1957-58 (Asian Flu) and 1918-19, the "Spanish Flu" pandemic that caused over 500,000 in the this country and approximately 50 million deaths worldwide.
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/season_or_pandemic.html
Later this year information will be provided on Joint School District No. 2 Pandemic Plan and community disaster preparedness. An additional resource is the Central District Health Department website on Public Health Preparedness. Here you'll find further information regarding pandemic flu as well as how to be prepared for other public health emergencies.
It is important to be preparded in the event we encounter a disaster such as pandemic flu. CLICK HERE for a checklist, preparded by the CDHD, covering how to be preparded.
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