H1N1 Parent Letter
by Cheryl Tuttle
October 30, 2009
H1N1 Update: Letter to
Parents of School Children Oct. 30, 2009
Dear Parent,
Mendocino County Public Health, the State Department of Public
Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have been
constantly monitoring the H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) outbreak. CDC
has indicated that most US cases are not severe at this time. We
will keep you updated with any important information.
To keep the flu from spreading to more people, anyone who has a
fever with either a cough or sore throat will be sent home from
school immediately.
Please continue to prevent the spread of this illness by doing
these things:
Check your children for symptoms of influenza (primarily fever
with either a cough or a sore throat).
Keep sick people at home. Don’t send them to school or
childcare.
Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and
water.
Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or
by coughing into the inside of the elbow.
Teach your children to stay at least six feet away from people
who are sick.
Individuals who are sick with influenza-like illness must remain at
home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100° F
[37.8°C]), or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing
medications. A doctor’s note is not necessary to return to
school.
Contact your health care provider if you have questions, or if the
sick person has a fever of 102° F or higher, or other signs of
significant illness. Households caring for family members sick with
the flu can also do the following things:
Have them drink a lot of liquid (juice, water)
For fever, sore throat and muscle aches, use ibuprofen (Motrin)
or acetaminophen (Tylenol). Do not use aspirin with children or
teenagers; it can cause Reye’s syndrome, a life- threatening
illness.
Keep tissues and a trash bag within reach of the sick person.
Be sure everyone in your home washes their hands frequently.
Keep the people who are sick with the flu away from the people
who are not sick.
If you have questions
regarding the school policy for exclusion and readmission after a
flu like illness please contact your District Office at 983-6171or
call the school nurse at 983-6171, ext. 322. Other information is
available at: www.mcoe.us/d/alerts.
