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H1N1 Update

                    H1N1 Update: Letter to Parents of School Children

Dear Parents:

Mendocino County Public Health, the State Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have been constantly monitoring the H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) outbreak. CDC has indicated that most US cases are not severe at this time. We will keep you updated with any important information.

Monday, December 14 there will be an H1N1 vaccination clinic at Redwood School from 3 to 6 P.M. Anyone interested in getting the H1N1 vaccine is welcome to attend.

To keep the flu from spreading to more people, anyone who has a fever with either a cough or sore throat will be sent home from school immediately.
Please continue to prevent the spread of this illness by doing these things:
 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 or childcare.
 Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water.
 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.

Individuals who are sick with influenza-like illness must remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100° F [37.8°C]), or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications. A doctor’s note is not necessary to return to school.
Contact your health care provider if you have questions, or if the sick person has a fever of 102° F or higher, or other signs of significant illness. 

Households caring for family members sick with the flu can also do the following things:
 Have them drink a lot of liquid (juice, water)
 For fever, sore throat and muscle aches, use ibuprofen (Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol). Do not use aspirin with children or teenagers; it can cause Reye’s syndrome, a life- threatening illness.
 Keep tissues and a trash bag within reach of the sick person.
 Be sure everyone in your home washes their hands frequently.
 Keep the people who are sick with the flu away from the people who are not sick.

If you have questions regarding the school policy for exclusion and readmission after a flu like illness please contact your school office. Other information is available at: www.mcoe.us (click on the H1N1 Health Alerts link) and www.mcdh.org for information from the Mendocino Coast District Hospital.