Hogarth Country Day School
Established 1980
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H1N1 Flu and the HCDS Response |
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Because this is an evolving situation, I will do my best to keep this page updated as information emerges. Scan down the page for the latest entries.
May 4, 2009 -- As you must know by this time, public health authorities are dealing with a potential H1N1 flu pandemic. The key word here is "potential." At this point, it appears this could very well be no worse than a "regular" flu outbreak. This is not to minimize the issue. For the very young, the very old, and those whose health is already compromised, flu can be life-threatening. To put things in perspective, visit the CDC 2007-2008 Influenza Season Summary page, which offers statistics for a "regular" flu season.
What are we doing at HCDS to minimize the chance of an outbreak within our student population? We:
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continue to practice good environmental hygiene, which includes wiping down hard surfaces (tables, chairs, door knobs, etc.) with a disinfecting bleach solution. This is done several times during the school day.
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continue to oversee good personal hygiene, including proper handwashing at appropriate times -- upon arrival, before eating, if a child touches his eyes, nose or mouth, and after nose blowing, coughing or sneezing into the hands. Coughing and sneezing into the hands is STRONGLY discouraged in favor of coughing or sneezing into the crook of the elbow or shoulder. (See video demonstrating this technique below.) When handwashing is necessary but impractical, students and staff will use disinfecting hand gel.
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insist that sick children remain at home until they are better.
Several years ago, one of my older nephews was diagnosed with cancer. While he was receiving months of chemotherapy, his immune system was greatly compromised and even the common cold was a matter of life and death for him. I explained to the HCDS parents at the time that I wanted to be able to visit with him regularly, and to help my sister and her family deal with the challenges this cancer presented to all of them. I asked that they keep their children home if they had so much as a sniffle, and to this day I am grateful for the response. Everybody, without exception, was vigilant about not sending a sick child to school. That was the healthiest year we've ever had at Hogarth. Overall, we had fewer absences among students and staff due to illness, because nothing was able to "take hold" and run through the student population. Those children who did catch colds or other illnesses recovered much more quickly, as well. I'm confident we can have a similar outcome during this potential health crisis if everybody is on the same page as far as keeping sick children at home.
June 11, 2009 --H1N1 is officially declared a pandemic. Looking ahead to the coming school year, should H1N1 force a temporary closure at HCDS, any days (or weeks) we must shut down will be added onto the school year in June 2010.
H1N1 (Swine Flu) Links (Original Entries are Undated.)
Flu.Gov -- One-stop access to U.S. Government H1N1, avian and pandemic flu information. (Posted 8.23.09)
The CDC's H1N1 page. (Posted 7.22.09)
W.H.O.'s H1N1 page. (Posted 7.22.09)
**NEW** September 14, 2009 New York Times article entitled With Soap and Water or Sanitizer, a Cleaning That Can Stave Off the Flu (Posted 9.16.09)
August 23, 2009 Washington Post article entitled Schoolyards Could Be Hotbeds of Swine Flu Infection (Posted 8.23.09)
August 23, 2009 USA Today article entitled H1N1 and Seasonal Flu: Multiple Doses, Many Questions. (Posted 8.23.09)
August 21, 2009 US News and World Report article entitled Swine Flu Vaccine Seems Safe in Early Trials (Posted 8.23.09)
July 23, 2009 On-line article at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services entitled DHHS Advises Residents to Prepare for Fall Flu Season. (Posted 8.23.09)
July 22, 2009 TIME article. entitled Think H1N1 Is Bad Now? Wait Till Flu Season (Posted 7.22.09)
May 4, 2009 H1N1 Recommendations Update from José T. Montero, MD, Director of the NH Division of Public Health Services. (Posted 5.7.09)
Video Demonstrating Coughing/Sneezing Technique that Lessens the Chance of Spreading Disease -- I have been touting the virtues of sneezing into the crook of your elbow for 30 years. This was one of the first things I taught your little ones last fall. Check out the video, and start using this technique yourself!
Scrub Club® to the Rescue -- The Scrub Club® program is the first of its kind – a fun, interactive and educational web site (www.scrubclub.org) that teaches children the proper way to wash their hands. The site consists of a Webisode, interactive games, educational music, downloadable activities for kids, educational materials for teachers and program information for parents. (That blurb was taken directly from the web site which I liked to from the American Red Cross web site's page entitled Red Cross Offers Flu-Prevention Tips for Kids.)
H1N1 Links from MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
EDEN -- Associated with UNH Cooperative Extension, the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) links Extension educators from across the U.S. and various disciplines, enabling them to use and share resources to reduce the impact of disasters. (Posted 5.7.09)
This links to a letter crafted by the New Hampshire Department of Education which is being sent home with public school students. At the time the letter was written, there were no confirmed cases of H1N1 in New Hampshire, which is no longer true. (I am assuming that the state will update this information within the letter at some point, so by the time you link to it, they may have done that.) You will see that the state is recommending that children who are sick, regardless of whether or not it is with the flu, should stay home until they are better.
Talking to Your Children About H1N1 -- From UNH Cooperative Extension. (Posted 5.7.09)
Hospital Officials: Don't Panic Over Swine Flu