August 31, 2009 - It’s “back to school” and with the heightened community awareness of the H1N1 flu virus, the Health Unit is working with elementary, secondary and post-secondary institutions on flu prevention and infection control to minimize the spread of flu.
Currently, there is no increase in reports of influenza-like illness in the District, and the Health Unit hopes that increasing the awareness of the importance of basic infection prevention behaviours at home and at school will keep it that way.
“This flu season should be treated like any other,” said Darlene Binette, Manager of the Infectious Diseases Program. “Keep your children healthy by getting them a flu shot, teaching them to wash their hands often, and teaching them to cough and sneeze into their sleeves, not their hands. Doing these things really does make a difference in preventing the flu.”
Also, parents and teachers are being asked to keep a watchful eye out for flu symptoms. If children are showing symptoms of the flu (fever, coughing, headache, the chills, fatigue, nausea), parents and teachers are asked to keep children at home or send them home (respectively) to avoid spreading illness to others.
“A cough alone is not reason enough to keep your child at home, but if the cough is present along with the chills, fever or a headache, it is best to keep your child at home until you are sure they are not coming down with the flu,” said Binette.
The Health Unit has provided elementary schools with information about the flu season to be distributed to parents and guardians.
For schools, environmental cleaning is an important factor in reducing the spread of flu viruses. Although schools already follow regular cleaning routines, the Health Unit has been consulting with boards of education to provide guidance on enhanced cleaning procedures.
“The frequent cleaning of common areas is a very effective tactic in killing flu viruses at school,” said public health inspector Anita Lapointe. “We have been advising schools to be extra diligent in cleaning commonly-touched surfaces like doorknobs, desk tops, and handrails because flu germs can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours.”
New Ministry of Health guidance documents on infection prevention and control were released August 28, 2009 and provided to schools. Visit thunderbayflu.ca to view the document.
Seasonal flu clinics will begin in October. H1N1 flu clinics will likely begin in late November or December. For more information and resources on flu prevention, visit thunderbayflu.ca or call the Health Unit at 625-8318 or toll free 1-888-294-6630, ext. 8318.
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