Volume 3, Issue 3
November, 2009
SCOPE FOR PSRP’S
McAllen AFT, 1500 Dove, McAllen, TX, 78504
Telephone—682-1143, Fax—631-0190, Cell—607-0193
Stories contributed by McAllen AFT PSRP’s
Responses to Influenza during the
2009-2010 School Year
How does CDC’s new flu guidance for schools differ from the previous school guidance documents?
The new guidance applies to any flu virus circulating during the 2009-2010 school year, not only 2009 H1N1 flu. The new guidance recognizes the need to balance the risks of illness among students and staff with the benefits of keeping students in school. It offers specific steps for school staff, parents, and students to take given the current flu conditions as well as for more severe flu conditions. The new guidance also provides information for making decisions at the community level about when to use these strategies aimed at schools.
In addition, this guidance recommends that, based on current flu conditions, students and staff with flu-like illness stay home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever or signs of a fever. This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). This is a shorter time period from the previous guidance which recommended that sick students and staff stay home 7 days after symptoms begin. The 7 day period away from school for sick students and staff would still be recommended under more severe flu conditions. In addition, this longer period should be used in healthcare settings and in any place where a high number of high-risk people may be exposed, such as childcare facilities for children younger than 5 years of age.
Why should we be concerned about the spread of flu in schools?
Students can get sick with flu and schools may act as a point of spread, where students can easily spread flu to other students and their families. So far, with 2009 H1N1 flu, the largest number of cases has been in people between the ages of 5 and 24-years-old.
Which students and staff are at higher risk for complications from flu?
Anyone can get the flu (even healthy people), and serious problems from the flu can happen at any age. However, children under the age of 5 years, pregnant women, people of any age with chronic medical conditions (such as pulmonary disease, including asthma, diabetes, neuromuscular disorders or heart disease), and people age 65 years and older are more likely to get complications from the flu.
How will schools and communities decide what steps to take?
CDC and other public health agencies will be monitoring national data on the number of people who seek care for flu-like illness, as well as the number of hospitalizations and deaths. CDC will also look at the geographic spread of flu-like illness and will look for changes in the characteristics of the virus. By comparing data on a weekly basis with seasonal flu trends and trends from the 2009 H1N1 flu during the spring, CDC will be able to provide advice to state and local agencies on appropriate steps to take. States and local communities can expect the impact of flu in their communities to be different from that seen in other parts of the country. States, communities, and schools should consider:
· who needs to be involved in the decision-making process and include those people in regular communications,
· the severity of flu and the impact in the community and in the schools, and
· the goals, feasibility, and community’s acceptability of the action steps being considered.
How long should a sick student or staff member be kept home?
In the current flu conditions, students and staff with symptoms of flu should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not feel feverish, without using fever-reducing drugs. If the flu conditions become more severe, CDC recommends that a sick person stay home for 7 days. A person who is still sick after 7 days should stay home until 24 hours after the symptoms have gone away. In addition, this longer period should be used in healthcare settings and in any place where a high number of high-risk people may be exposed, such as childcare facilities for children less than 5 years of age.
Sick people should stay at home, except to go to the doctor’s office, and should avoid contact with others. Keeping people with a fever at home may reduce the number of people who get infected. Because high temperatures are linked with higher amounts of virus, people with a fever may be more contagious.
Should family members of sick students stay home too?
Not unless the flu conditions are determined to be more severe. If flu conditions are more severe, school-aged children should also stay home for 5 days from the time someone in their home became sick. It is possible that family members could already be sick with flu and not be showing symptoms yet. The 5-day period provides enough time to know if anyone else is sick with flu. Parents should continue to monitor their health and the health of the sick child, as well as the health of their other children.
WE NEED TO TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION AND KEEP UPDATED WITH THE LATEST ON SWINE FLU NEWS.
Dr. Bryan Smith, Texas Department of State Health Services said that we would see the worst outbreak in January, February and March of 2010.
REMEMBER THE BEST CURE IS PREVENTION!
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