THE FLU IS COMING !!!   THE FLU IS COMING!!!  H1N1 IS COMING!!! BEWARE !!

Americans and people world wide are preparing for a pandemic season of flu and its aftermath.  The Swine Flu, now called H₁N_1, has millions of people on edge from the media hype and the predicted mortality rates that await us.  Panic is setting in throughout the country as we prepare for IT!  We cannot stop the virus from coming but there are certain BASIC things that will help people delay the onset, diminish the symptoms, and help contain an illness from reckless spreading of the virus among large groups of people, as in schools.  We need everyone on the same page to contain this expected epidemic.

The reason the H₁N₁ spreads so fast is that it is a strain unlike any other the CDC has seen.  We, therefore, have built up little or no immunity from it.  It's symptoms are just the same as seasonal flu but come on faster and seem to be attacking a younger population with the lower immunity to the H₁N₁.  So far, with 2009 H₁N₁flu, the largest number of cases have been in people between the ages of 5 and 24 year-olds.

MAIN SYMPTOMS OF ALL FLU -- SEASONAL AND H₁N₁

#1.  FEVER:  A fever is a temperature taken with a thermometer that is equal to or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).  If you are not able to measure a temperature, the  sick person might have a fever is he or she:

• Feels warm
• Has a flushed appearance or
• Is sweating or shivering.

#2.  BODY/MUSCLE ACHES

Headache, body aches, neck and joint pain also are indicators of flu symptoms.  Headache often accompanies a high fever.  Fever reducers can also be used to relieve pain in the body.  This is a generalized feeling of misery and anyone exhibiting these symptoms should rest and drink plenty of fluids, especially water.

#3 RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS

Sneezing, coughing, congestion, runny nose, and difficulty breathing are signs of respiratory involvement when either of the above signs are present.  Often times with a fever, the ill person will be coughing up or have a exudate from their nose that is yellowish or greenish.  These are signs of infections.  Seek advice from your family physician if you see these signs.

EMERGENCY WARNING SIGNS THAT NEED URGENT MEDICAL ATTENTION

• FAST BREATHING OR TROUBLE BREATHING
• BLUISH OR GRAY SKIN COLOR
• NOT DRINKING ENOUGH FLUIDS
• NOT UINATING OR NO TEARS WHEN CRYING
• SEVERE OR PERSISTENT VOMITING
• NOT WAKING UP OR NOT INTERACTING
• BEING SO IRRITABLE THAT THE CHILD DOES NOT WANT TO BE HELD
• PAIN OR PRESSURE IN THE CHEST OR ABDOMEN
• SUDDEN DIZZINESS
• CONFUSION
• FLU - LIKE SYMPTOMS IMPROVE BUT THEN RETURN WITH FEVER AND WORSE COUGH

The following information is what PARENTS AND SCHOOLS can do to work together to  recognize and balance the risks of illness among students and staff with the benefits of keeping students in school.

BASIC RULE #1

Based on current flu conditions, students and staff with flu-like illness should 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).  EXAMPLE:  Your child is sick in the night with a fever over 100⁰ F.  Your give them a fever reducer.  The fever comes down by 7:00 am. to 99.

DO NOT SEND THEM TO SCHOOL IF IT TOOK A FEVER REDUCER TO BRING THE FEVER DOWN.  THEY ARE STILL CONTAGEOUS AND SHOULD STAY HOME UNTIL THE FEVER IS BELOW 100⁰ F  FOR 24 HOURS WITH OUT FEVER REDUCERS!

BASIC RULE  #2

Practice good hand hygiene.  Students and staff members should wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing.  Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective if they contain 60% alcohol, but use soap and water if available. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the best way to keep your hands from spreading the virus. Our school is conducting training sessions with the students to encourage good hand hygiene.

BASIC RULE  #3

Practice respiratory etiquette.  The main way that the flu spreads is from person to person in the droplets produced by coughs and sneezes, so it's important to 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.  Then WASH YOUR HANDS.

The CDC high encourages parents to consider the vaccination of all children from 5 yrs to 24  years.  Each parent needs to weigh the advantages of prevention against the risks of complications.

FOR ADDITIONAL AND DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE H₁N₁  FLU, VISIT www.flu.gov.

Parents understandably feel panicked when they hear their child has head lice.  If you're like most parents, you're likely to ask, "How could this happen to us?"  The fact is that any child, regardles of ethnic, social or economic status can get head lice.  Indeed, after the common cold, head lice are more common than all other childhood diseases combined.  Lice can invade and spread any place children spend time together--in school, day care, or play groups.  About 10 million children get head lice each year, so you are not alone.

FOLLOW THESE 3 STEPS AND YOU CAN EASILY GET RID OF HEAD LICE.