WHEN SHOULD MY STUDENT STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL?

Posted by: Nurse Golie

Your child should stay home if he or she:

• Has a fever of 100.4 or higher
• Has been vomiting or has diarrhea
• Has a rash with fever
• Has symptoms that keep your child from participating in school, such as:
• Very tired, unable to focus in class or lack of appetite
• Cough that he or she cannot control or sneezing often
• Headache, body aches and/or earache
• Bad sore throat-with or without fever and swollen glands, unable to control pain or swallow liquids
• Eye drainage- thick mucus or pus from the eye, uncontrollable itching

24 Hour Rule:

• Your child should be fever free without medication and no vomiting or diarrhea for at least 24 hours before returning to school.
• If your child was given an antibiotic, please keep them home for at least 24 hours after first dose.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your School Nurse.

WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT THE FLU?

Posted by: Nurse Golie
Influenza “the flu”

What is influenza? - Influenza (commonly called “the flu”) is caused by the influenza virus, which infects the respiratory tract (nose, throat, lungs). It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. In the United States, it is estimated that 10 percent to 20 percent of people get the flu each year: an average of 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications and 36,000 Americans die each year from complications of the flu. Five hundred out of 100,000 children with high-risk conditions (such as heart disease or asthma) and 100 out of 100,000 otherwise healthy children aged 0 to 4 years who are infected with the flu will be hospitalized for complications each season.

What are the symptoms of flu? - Symptoms of flu include fever (usually high), headache, tiredness (can be extreme), dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches. Other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, are much more common among children than adults.

Is there a flu vaccine? – Yes. The flu vaccine prevents the flu. The flu shot is encouraged because the flu can lead to other problems including pneumonia, inflammation of the heart, and inflammation of the lungs. Healthy children younger than five years of age are more likely than adults to be hospitalized for complications from the flu. The vaccine protects between 45 percent and 90 percent of healthy children from getting the flu. Studies have shown that the older and healthier children are when they get a flu shot; the more likely they will be protected. The flu shot has also been shown to decrease middle ear infections among young children by about 30 percent.