Thursday, December 17, 2015

HJUHSD Health Insider, Winter, 2015

Cold and Flu Season is upon us once again!

With the winter comes a new batch of germs for us to share. We are all doing our best to prevent the spread to each other as much as possible. This is a great time to review the recommendation regarding when to keep your student home if he/she has:
  • Fever in the past 24 hours (must be fever free- less than 99.6 without pain/fever reliever medication to return to school).
  • Vomiting in the past 24 hours
  • Diarrhea in the past 24 hours
  • Strep throat (must have been taking an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school).
  • Bad cold, with a very runny nose or bad cough, especially if it has kept the student awake at night.
  • Pink or red eye(s) with drainage.
**When your child visits a doctor due to an illness or injury, please obtain a medical clearance from your child’s physician before he/she returns to school**

Did you know?
  • Nearly 22 million school days are lost each year due to the common cold.
  • 52.2 million cases of the common cold affect children under 17 years of age each year.
  • Children have about 6-10 colds a year.
  • Adults average 2-4 colds a year.
  • Some viruses and bacteria can live from 20 minutes up to 2 hours or more on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks.
Handwashing

"The most important thing that you can do to keep from getting sick is to wash your hands," according to the CDC. Many studies document handwashing's impact on student and staff attendance -- school-wide handwashing programs reduce absenteeism.

When should you wash your hands?
  • You should wash your hands often.
  • Before and after handling food.
  • After using the bathroom.
  • After touching animals.
  • When your hands are dirty, and more frequently when someone in your home is sick.

Somjai Cochran, RN, BSN, PHN
HJUHSD District School Nurse
scochran@hjuhsd.org
Tel: 559-583-5902 Ext 4038