Seasonal Flu
The seasonal flu season is here. The most important thing that parents and school employees can do to protect themselves and our children is prevention!
Here are six good habits to prevent any Flu:
1. Avoid close contact. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep you distance from others to protect them from getting sick too!
2. Stay home when you are sick. Stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
3. Cover you mouth and nose. Cover you mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Cough into your elbow to prevent those around you from getting sick.
4. Clean your hands. Washing you hands often will help protect you from germs.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
6. Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
If your children have flu-like symptoms (fever—usually high, cough, sore throat, runny and/or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue--Children especially may also have stomach symptoms, like vomiting and/or diarrhea) PLEASE KEEP THEM HOME! Do not give them Ibuprofen or Tylenol and send them to school, they will still be contagious.
To prepare for flu during the school year, parents are encouraged to:
Here are six good habits to prevent any Flu:
1. Avoid close contact. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep you distance from others to protect them from getting sick too!
2. Stay home when you are sick. Stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
3. Cover you mouth and nose. Cover you mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Cough into your elbow to prevent those around you from getting sick.
4. Clean your hands. Washing you hands often will help protect you from germs.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
6. Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
If your children have flu-like symptoms (fever—usually high, cough, sore throat, runny and/or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue--Children especially may also have stomach symptoms, like vomiting and/or diarrhea) PLEASE KEEP THEM HOME! Do not give them Ibuprofen or Tylenol and send them to school, they will still be contagious.
To prepare for flu during the school year, parents are encouraged to:
- Plan to monitor the health of the sick child and your other children by checking for fever and other symptoms of the flu.
- Update emergency contact lists.
- Identify a separate room in the house for care of sick family members. Consider designating a single person as the main caregiver for anyone who gets sick.
- Pull together games, books, DVDs and other items to keep your family entertained while at home.
- Get your family vaccinated for seasonal flu. Source: CDC Preparing for Flu: Communication Toolkit for Schools
Resources at the Health Dept.:
There are several websites that are available to you for information and for daily viewing and updates:
www.wearepublichealth.org
www.flu.gov
www.stopthespreadAZ.org
www.cdc.gov/flu/