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February 15, 2018With the cold and flu season upon us, we are hearing a lot on the news about the number of influenza and other respiratory infections in our community. Indeed, we have had a number of cases here at SJS. While influenza is not unusual for this time of year, please keep the following guidelines in mind when deciding whether or not to send your child to school. This will help to control spread of infectious diseases at school and allow your child, and their teachers, to be available for learning.
Contact a doctor if your child shows symptoms of influenza. Consult a doctor if your child develops a fever (100°F. orally, or 102°F. rectally) and chills, cough, sore throat, headache, or muscle aches. Treatment may be available if sought early in the illness. Your child may also be showing signs or symptoms of another illness such as strep that would require prescription medication to treat.
Please do not send any child experiencing influenza symptoms to school. To prevent spreading the illness to others, keep ill children home and away from others until the child has been symptom-free and without a fever (without medication) for at least 24 hours.
If your child has been sent home from school or excluded from school because of influenza-like-illness, we again request that your child remain at home until 24 hours after symptoms cease. This will ensure that the spread of this contagious disease is limited as much as possible.
It is not too late to get a flu vaccine for this season. Vaccination is the single best way to protect against the flu. It is recommended that all children aged 6 months through 18 years of age receive the flu vaccine.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call the clinic and speak to one of the School Nurses at 703-88-4318 or via email.
