H1N1

Symptoms of H1N1 Flu:

Fever of 100° or more, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue.

Yelm Community Schools H1N1 Virus Prevention, Planning and Response

Prevention and Education Activities

Infection Control

• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers/cleaners will be available in locations where soap and water are not readily accessible
• Encourage use of respiratory etiquette when coughing or sneezing
• Cover any open wounds
• Normal cleaning of surfaces (CDC recommends to not over clean and disinfect)

Plan to minimize the spread of flu in schools

• Whenever possible, students and staff exhibiting symptoms of the flu should be isolated from others. Students often spread flu to other students and their families. In 2009, the largest number of H1N1 flu cases has been with individuals between the ages of 5 and 24 years old.

Education Plan in schools and work sites for students, staff and community

• Informational posters will be provided to schools and work sites
• Prevention information will be provided to students and staff ·
• The district and school web sites will provide education material and links to other H1N1 information resources

What can families, students, and school personnel do to keep from getting sick and spreading flu

• Practice good hand hygiene. Students and staff members should wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers/cleaners are also effective.
• Practice respiratory/cough etiquette. The main way flu spreads is from person to person in the droplets produced by coughs and sneezes, so it’s important to 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.
• Stay home if you are sick.

What to do if you are sick (This includes staff as well as students)

• Keeping sick individuals at home will reduce exposing others to the flu virus. Students, staff and their families must take personal responsibility for helping to slow the spread of the virus and to protect others from getting the flu.

How long should a sick student or staff member stay home?

• In the current flu conditions, students and staff with symptoms of flu should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever without using fever-reducing drugs. If the flu conditions become more severe, the CDC recommends a sick person stay home for seven days. A person who is still sick after seven days should stay home for 24 hours after the symptoms have gone away. In addition, this longer period should be used in healthcare settings and in any place where a high number of high-risk people may be exposed, such as childcare facilities for children less than five years of age.
• Sick individuals should stay at home, except to go to the doctor’s office, and should avoid contact with others. Because high temperatures are linked with higher amounts of virus, people with a fever may be more contagious. Keeping people with a fever at home may reduce the number of people who get infected.

Students and staff who are sick should

• Contact their Health Care Provider · Drink liquids (juice, water)
• Stay as comfortable as possible. Rest is important.
• Keep tissues and a trash bag within reach of the sick person.
• Be sure everyone in the home washes their hands frequently.
• Keep individuals who are sick away from those who are not sick

Vist the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Washington State Department of Health for more information on H1N1 Flu and guidance on precautions you can take to keep safe.