Cumberland County School System is gearing up for this school year’s cold and flu season. We would like to provide action steps recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to help protect your child and family during the 2009-2010 cold and flu season.

What is the flu?

The flu (influenza) is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs caused by influenza viruses. Flu viruses cause illness, hospital stays, and deaths in the United States each year. There are many different flu viruses and sometimes a new flu virus emerges to make people sick.

What is novel H1N1 flu?

Novel H1N1 flu is a new and very different influenza virus that is spreading word wide among people. This new virus was called “swine flu” at first because it has pieces of flu viruses found in pigs in the past. However, Novel H1N1 virus has not been detected in U.S. pigs.

How can you and your family limit the risk of becoming sick?

1. Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
2. 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. Throw the tissue away.
3. Stay home if you or your child is sick for at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine). Keeping sick students at home means that they keep their viruses to themselves rather than sharing them with others.

Follow these steps to prepare for the flu during the 2009-2010 school year:
· Check with your physician for advice concerning flu vaccine for yourself and your family.
· Plan for child care at home if your child gets sick or their school is dismissed.
· Plan to monitor the health of the sick child and any other children in the household by checking for fever and other symptoms of flu.
· Identify if you have children who are at higher risk of serious disease from the flu and talking to your healthcare provider about a plan to protect them during the flu season. Children at high risk of serious disease from the flu include children under 5 years of age and those children with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.
· Identify a separate room in the house for the care of sick family members. Keep surfaces clean. Bathroom, kitchen counters, toys for children, etc. should be wiped down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label
· Collect games, books, DVD’s and other items to keep your family entertained if schools are dismissed or your child is sick and must stay home.
· Update emergency contact lists.

Flu-like symptoms :
According to the CDC web site, (http://www.cdc.gov/) flu-like symptoms may include: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, nausea and vomiting or diarrhea, chills and fatigue.

People at higher risk of serious complications from flu may include:
· Children younger than 5 years old,
· Pregnant women,
· People of any age with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), and
· People whose immune systems are not strong (such as chemotherapy patients or those infected with HIV).

For children, emergency warning signs that need medical attention may include:
· Fast breathing or trouble breathing
· Bluish or gray skin color
· Not drinking enough fluids
· Severe or persistent vomiting
· Not waking up or not interacting
· Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
· Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

For adults, emergency warning signs that need medical attention may include:
· Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
· Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
· Sudden dizziness
· Confusion
· Severe or persistent vomiting
· Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

How long can a sick person spread the flu to others?
If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 yours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible. This is to keep from making others sick.

Please remember that your physician is your best medical resource if you have any questions or concerns.

Cumberland County Schools recognizes the need to balance the risks of illness among students and staff with the benefits of keeping students in school and will work closely with our county and state public health officials and the State Department of Education to de­cide how and when to dismiss students. Any decision to dismiss Cumberland County schools will be determined by the Director of Schools with the input from the County, State public health officials and the Local and State Department of Education. The decision will consider:
· the number and severity of cases in an outbreak (looking at national, regional, and local data),
· the risks of flu spread and benefits of dismissal,
· the problems that school dismissal can cause for families and communities, and
· different types of dismissal (selective, reactive, and preemptive).

The length of time school should be dismissed will vary depending on how severe the flu is and how many people are sick. When the decision is made to dismiss students, CDC currently recommends doing so for 5-7 calendar days. Near the end of this period, officials should reassess the severity and impact of the flu, the benefits of keeping students home, and the consequences of doing so. Based on this reassessment, officials can decide whether to extend the school dismissal for additional time or to reopen schools. However, if a flu outbreak is determined to be severe, the current CDC recommendation states that a longer time period may be necessary.

There are three types of school dismissals:
Selective dismissal is used when all or most students in the school are at higher risk for complications once infected with flu.
Reactive dismissal is used when many students and staff are sick and are not at­tending school, or many students and staff are arriving at school sick and are being sent home.
Preemptive dismissal is used early during a flu response in a community to decrease the spread of the flu before many students and staffs get sick. This is based on information about the spread of severe flu in the region. This dismissal is most effective at decreasing flu spread and burden on the healthcare system when done early in relation to the amount of flu activity in the area.

No matter what type of school dismissal is chosen, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that all school-related mass gatherings should be canceled or postponed in order to decrease the spread of flu among students, their families and staff. This includes sporting events, school dances, performances, ral­lies, commencement ceremonies, and other events that bring large groups of people into close contact with one another.

Cumberland County Schools are taking extra precautions to provide a healthy learning environment for our students and staff. Coordinated School Health, school administration and nursing personnel are working closely with the Local and State Department of Health to stay informed on measures to minimize the spreading of germs. Our custodial staff is taking extra care in sanitizing our school facilities as part of their regular duties.

All of us working together will help minimize the spread of influenza.

For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/ or http://www.flu.gov/ or call 1-800CDC-INFO.