No cases of swine influenza (H1N1), known as swine flu,
have been detected in
Attached is the DPH fact sheet on swine flu, which you
should feel free to provide to parents, students and
staff.
Guidance for School and Childcare
Settings
At this time, DPH recommends that schools and
childcare settings increase education on respiratory hygiene and monitor
attendees for acute febrile respiratory illness.
Staff and children (as developmentally appropriate)
should all be taught and asked to follow these steps that prevent the
transmission of infections such as influenza:
§
Cover your coughs and sneezes into
a tissue or the inside of your elbow, not into your bare hands.
§
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and
mouth.
§
Wash hands frequently, especially
after coughing or sneezing.
§
Stay home if you’re sick,
especially with a fever.
School or childcare participants with acute febrile
respiratory illness, regardless of travel history, should be sent home according
to facilities-established procedures with instructions to stay at home for least
7 days after the onset of illness or until 24 hours after their symptoms
resolve, whichever is longer. Instructions should be given to seek medical
care if symptoms worsen. At this time, exclusion is not recommended for
school or childcare participants who have recently traveled to an area where
swine flu cases have been confirmed, and who do not have symptoms.
Disease Reporting and
Consultation
School nurses and student health centers should report
higher than normal absenteeism to your local health department or to the DPH
Epidemiology Program at 617-983-6800.
Definitions of Respiratory
Illness:
1. Acute respiratory illness, defined as recent
onset of at least two of the following:
·
rhinorrhea (runny nose) or nasal
congestion
·
sore throat
·
cough
·
fever or
feverishness
2.
Influenza-like illness: fever
>37.8°C (100°F) plus cough or sore throat
For More Information:
Infection control and treatment guidance: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/recommendations.htm
Massachusetts-Specific Information as well as links to
CDC:
School and/or Day Care Specific
Resources
All you have to do is wash your hands Podcast:
This Podcast teaches children how and when to wash their hands properly.
http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=11072
Downloadable Flu Prevention Materials for Schools/Day
Cares:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/
Preventing the Spread of Influenza (the
Flu) in Child Care Settings: Guidance for Administrators, Care Providers, and
Other Staff: Flu
recommendations for schools and child care providers http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/childcaresettings.htm
Protecting Against the Flu: Advice for Caregivers of
Children Less Than 6 Months Old: Research has shown that children less than 5 years of age
are at high risk of serious flu-related complications. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/infantcare.htm
Stopping Germs at Home, Work and
School: Fact
Sheet http://www.cdc.gov/germstopper/home_work_school.htm
Ounce of Prevention: Tips and streaming video for parents
and children about the steps and benefits of effective hand
washing http://www.cdc.gov/ounceofprevention/
Clean Hands Saves
Lives: Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we
can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. http://www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/
Hand washing to reduce
Disease:
Recommendations to Reduce Disease Transmission from Animals in Public
Settings http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5605a4.htm
BAM! Body
and Mind. Teacher's Corner: In this
activity, students will conduct an experiment on washing their hands. They will
learn that "clean" hands may not be so clean after all and the critical
importance of washing their hands as a way to prevent the spread of
disease. http://www.bam.gov/teachers/epidemiology_hand_wash.html
CDC TV - Put Your Hands Together: (Video) Scientists estimate that people
are not washing their hands often or well enough and may transmit up to 80% of
all infections by their hands. http://www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/HandsTogether/
Cover your Cough Posters: Stop the Spread of Germs that Make You
and Others Sick! Printable formats of "Cover Your Cough". Posters only
available as PDF files. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm
CDC - Be a Germ Stopper: Posters and
Materials: For
Community and
"It's a SNAP" Toolkit Program materials to help prevent school
absenteeism activities for school administrators, teachers, students and others
can do to help stop the spread of germs in schools.
See the hand cleaning
section of the "It's a SNAP" site at www.itsasnap.org/snap/about.asp.
Scrub Club http://www.scrubclub.org/Kids can learn about health and hygiene
and become members of the Scrub Club(tm) at www.scrubclub.org. The site features a fun and educational
animated Webisode with seven "soaper-heros" who battle nasty villains who
represent germs and bacteria. Kids learn the six key steps to proper
hand-washing through a webisode, hand-washing song, interactive games, and
activities for kids, and educational materials for teachers are also available
to download.