Wendy Patterson, Principal
Happy Valley Elementary School
3855 Happy Valley Road
Lafayette, CA 94549
Office: (925) 927-3560
Attendance Line: 927-3568
ANNOUNCEMENTS
H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) Updates:
H1N1 FAQs
October
21, 2009
1.
What are the common symptoms of H1N1? According to Contra Costa Health
Services, the symptoms of H1N1 are as follows:
The symptoms of H1N1 in people are
similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and may include
fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, body aches and
headache. Like seasonal flu, H1N1 may make underlying
chronic medical conditions worse; such as chronic lung
disease, heart disease, diabetes and others. People with
more severe illness may experience difficulty breathing,
dehydration, prolonged vomiting, diarrhea or fevers of more
than 100° F that do not get better when taking
over-the-counter fever-reducing medications. Anyone with
these symptoms should contact their health care provider
right away.
Source:
http://www.cchealth.org/topics/swine_flu/pdf/fact_sheet.
2.
Can the district require students, families and/or faculty
to be tested for the H1N1 virus? The district cannot require students,
families and/or faculty to be tested for the H1N1 virus.
The Contra Costa Health Services Department is advising the
public to treat H1N1 like any other flu virus and to take
the usual precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
Flu-like symptoms should be treated in the normal
cautionary manner.
For further guidelines, see: http://www.cchealth.org/topics/swine_flu/
3.
Are we keeping track of swine flu cases?
No, but the county has
asked us to notify them if we have absence rates
attributable to illness that are greater than 10% at any
one school. This has not yet happened.
4.
Are we notifying the school community when new confirmed
cases emerge? No,
we can assume that the virus is in our community and in all
of our schools. We are now focusing on measures to help prevent the spread of
the virus (See FAQ #6).
5.
What are the parameters for allowing students back to
school after having had the H1N1 virus? No one should return to school
(students or staff) until they have had no fever for 24
hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine, even if
they feel better.
6.
What preventative measures have been taken by the district?
•
Custodians have been
instructed on the best cleaning practices to prevent the
spread of germs.
•
Staff and students have
been educated on the proper protocols for hand washing,
coughing and sneezing.
•
Signs have been posted at
schools reminding students to wash their hands and sneeze
into their sleeves, and staff are providing frequent
reminders.
•
Emails from the
Superintendent were sent to all district parents on August
25, 2009, and September 22, 2009, regarding the emergence
of H1N1 in our community and practices to avoid the spread
of the virus. To view the text of these communications,
see:
http://www.lafsd.k12.ca.us/pdf/Aug%202009%20Letter%20to%20Parents%20re%20Swine%20Flu.pdf
http://www.lafsd.k12.ca.us/pdf/Sept%202009%20Letter%20to%20Parents%20re%20Swine%20Flu.pdf
7.
How are we going to handle a school and/or district-wide
outbreak of H1N1? We will follow the procedures
recommended by Contra Costa Health Services. We are in
close contact with these professionals.
8.
Do we recommend vaccinations? The District gives no formal
recommendation; however, here is a link to the
recommendation from Contra Costa Health Services:
http://www.cchealth.org/topics/swine_flu/pdf/2009_h1n1_vaccine_faq.pdf
9.
Will the Lafayette School District be vaccinating
students? No. As of
October 8, 2009, Contra Costa County is distributing their
supply of free H1N1 vaccines to school districts that have
school-based health clinics; our district does not have any
such clinics.
10.
Where can I get the H1N1 vaccine? According to Contra Costa Health
Services:
The best place to get H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine is from
your health care provider. Call ahead of time to see if
they are offering either vaccine. Vaccines will also be
available at clinics in some pharmacies, grocery stores and
work sites.
Source:
http://www.cchealth.org/topics/swine_flu/pdf/2009_h1n1_vaccine_faq.pdf
For
further questions and additional resources about H1N1
(Swine flu):
Contra Costa
Health Services 50 Douglas Drive Martinez, CA 94553
1-888-959-9911
www.cchealth.org
H1N1 Fact Sheet:
http://www.cchealth.org/topics/swine_flu/pdf/fact_sheet.pdf
H1N1 Flu Vaccine –
Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.cchealth.org/topics/swine_flu/pdf/2009_h1n1_vaccine_faq.pdf
H1N1 (Swine Flu) Prevention Materials &
Factsheets: http://www.cchealth.org/topics/swine_flu/materials.php
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – “2009 H1N1
(Swine Flu)”:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
__________________
September 22,
2009
Dear Parents,
As expected, we are beginning to get unconfirmed reports
that students and staff may have contracted the H1N1 flu
virus (swine flu). While there is no standard protocol for
communication, we thought it prudent to let our families
and staff know that HIN1 flu virus is likely emerging in
our community.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind families
of the best practices that are recommended by Contra Costa
Health Services to help prevent the spread of this illness
(even though you have received this information on multiple
previous occasions):
- Check your children for symptoms of influenza (primarily fever with either a cough or a sore throat).
- Keep sick people at home. Don’t send them to school, childcare or work. No one should return to school until they have had no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine, even if they feel better.
- Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, have them use an alcohol-based hand rub to clean their hands.
- Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or by coughing into the inside of the elbow.
- Teach your children to stay at least six feet away from people who are sick.
- Vaccinate your children and yourself with the seasonal flu vaccine.
Please know that we are monitoring attendance closely at all of our district’s school sites (there are no significant changes in absenteeism thus far), and we are remaining in close contact with the Contra Costa Health Services to get the most up-to-date information about prevention and safety protocol.
Information about H1N1 flu for parents, including fun videos and podcasts you can share with your child are available online at www.cchealth.org/topics/swine_flu/parent_information.php
To find out where to get seasonal flu vaccine for you and your family, contact your health care provider or health plan. You can also call the Public Health Flu Hotline at 925-313-6469 or visit www.flucliniclocator.org. Prerecorded information is also available by calling Contra Costa Health Services Health Emergency Information Line at 1-888-959-9911.
We appreciate all of your support.
Sincerely,
Fred Brill, Ed.D.
Superintendent