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H1N1 flu information for schools--UPDATED
8/21/2009
Federal health officials have released new guidelines to help schools plan for and prevent influenza outbreaks.
Flu prevention is always a concern for school districts, but the topic has taken on greater prominence with the emergence of the H1N1 influenza virus.
H1N1 influenza, also called swine flu, appeared in the United States last spring. With infections on the rise over recent months, federal health officials are concerned about H1N1's potential to affect students and teachers as they return to the classroom after the summer break.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in August released guidelines to help schools prevent the spread of the H1N1 and seasonal flu viruses, depending on the severity of the illness.
If the severity is similar to that of the spring 2009 outbreak, the CDC recommends:
- Keeping staff and students home when they feel sick. People should stay home until they've been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
- Separating students and staff who have flu symptoms from the rest of the school population until they can be sent home. These people should wear a mask until they are able to leave the building, and those caring for them should take similar precautions.
- Emphasizing basic hygiene and etiquette, such as hand-washing and covering a cough.
- Routine cleaning of areas that students and staff frequently touch.
- Encouraging early treatment of symptoms.
- Consideration of school dismissal if the school serves a high number of high-risk students, such as those with medical problems.
If this year's flu is more severe than the 2009 outbreak, the CDC recommends:
- Screening students and staff for fever and other symptoms when they arrive at school in the morning. Those with symptoms should be sent home.
- Have high-risk staff and students stay home if flu is circulating in the community. Schools should prepare for this with homework packets, instructional phone calls and other methods.
- Keep students with ill family members at home for at least five days after the onset of symptoms.
- Increase distance between people at school, such as moving desks further apart.
- People who are sick should stay home for seven days, even if their symptoms are gone.
- School officials should weigh considerations about school closings against the disruption they would cause in their community. If classes are dismissed, schools should be closed for five to seven days, and the buildings should remain open so that staff can continue working. Dismissals could be reactive, if a significant portion of students would be absent due to illness, or preemptive to decrease the spread of the virus.
For more information, visit flu.gov.
SEPT. 30 UPDATE
Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. Chris Nicastro is asking school officials to follow health officials' guidelines for readmitting students after they have had flu-like symptoms.
State and federal health guidelines ask parents to keep their children home from school until they have been free of fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing drugs.
In a message to school administrators this week, Nicastro wrote that some hospital emergency rooms are reporting high numbers of parents requesting notes readmitting their children to school after being dismissed for flu-like symptoms. The large volume of requests has created a burden for health practitioners and has been costly for parents, Nicastro wrote.
Nicastro asks to suspend policies requiring notes for readmittance.