October 13, 2009
Update #6 Information about H1N1 - Swine Flu (and seasonal flu)
Dear Members of the School Community,
We have been advised that the seasonal flu vaccine continues to be delayed and may not be available for our flu clinic until late October or November. As soon as this shipment arrives our school nurses will contact parents about clinic dates and times. Parents who have signed up their child for a school seasonal flu vaccine should notify the school if their child received the vaccine elsewhere and will no longer need to have the vaccine at school. This information is helpful to the nurses who must plan for our clinics.
Last week the Yarmouth School Department was also approved to be a distribution center for administration of the H1N1 vaccine. We will be offering the H1N1 vaccine to Yarmouth students (with signed permission forms) as soon as the vaccines are delivered. This week the H1N1 permission form as well as the vaccine information sheet will be sent home with all students in grade K-12. Please look for this form in your child's backpack. If you would like your child to receive the H1N1 vaccine at school, please completely fill out the form (in pen) and return to your child's school. Our school nurses will schedule dates and times for the clinics as soon as they are notified when the vaccine will arrive.
As we had expected, the H1N1 virus is in our community, and we have had a few students and employees diagnosed with "presumed" cases of H1N1. According the Maine CDC, a person with a fever of over 100 degrees, sore throat, and cough without any other medical findings for the symptoms, can be presumed to have H1N1 as the seasonal influenza has not yet presented itself. Routine testing for H1N1 is not being done unless a person has complications or is hospitalized.
Our school nurses are monitoring student/employee illness rates in school and keeping abreast of the latest information regarding H1N1 recommendations. We ask that you continue to monitor your child for illness and keep them home from school if they have any of the above symptoms. If you receive a call from the school that your child is ill, promptly pick up your child to minimize the spread of germs.
We appreciate the many community members and parents who have volunteered to assist the nurses with the upcoming clinics. Teachers as well have worked diligently to instill good hand washing practices and proper cough etiquette in all students to decrease the spread of germs. It is apparent as well that parents are emphasizing these practices at home. It will take our entire community working together to keep our children healthy this winter.
Sincerely,
Judith J. Paolucci, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Margi Moran
Nurse
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