Dear Parent or Guardian:
As you all know, it is flu season. The number of reported cases of the flu/influenza is rising quickly. This letter is to inform you that there have been some confirmed flu/influenza cases at St. John Paul II Regional School and that your child(ren) might have been exposed. To prevent widespread flu in the school, we recommend that your child stay home from school if experiencing flu or cold symptoms. To decide whether or not to send your child to school, please consider the following guidelines.
Keep your child at home for treatment and observation if he or she has any one of these symptoms:
- A fever greater than 100°F - and your child should stay home until at least 24 hours after he or she is fever free. Your child needs to be fever free without the use of fever-reducing medicines (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen)
- Vomiting (even once)
- Diarrhea
- Chills
- General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness or muscle aches
- Frequent congested (wet) or croup cough
- Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose
To help prevent the flu and other colds, teach your children good hygiene habits:
- Wash hands frequently
- Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth
- Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing. Using a paper tissue, throw it away and then wash hands
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
Often when a child awakens with vague complaints (the way colds and flu begin), it is wise to observe your child at home for an hour or two before deciding whether or not to bring to school. Keeping a sick child at home will help minimize the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom.
The flu is very contagious and can spread from person to person by breathing in the droplets in a cough, sneeze or runny nose that contain the flu virus. People with the flu may be able to infect others by shedding the virus from one day before getting sick to five to seven days after symptoms begin.
If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Dahn, the school nurse, at [email protected], or call the school at 860-347-2978.
