News
School Health Services
Schools, FLU and Pandemic Influenza Guidance
Iowa Medication Administration
Course for Non Health Licensed School Personnel
Public Access
Defibrillator Program
2004 Iowa Tobacco
survey 2004
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act 2004 (IDEA)
Iowa School Nurse Data
Physical Exam Rule – Check for TB – Update
TB Tests and Bus Drivers
Federal Funding Update
Iowa School Nurse Mailing List
Schools, FLU and Pandemic
Influenza Guidance
The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reports the
identification of type A and type B influenza throughout Iowa. Both strains are
included in this years’ vaccine. Influenza-like illness reported by the
Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network (IISN) remains below baseline and is
expected to rise when schools are in session. The IDPH, Center for Acute
Disease Epidemiology will provide pandemic influenza guidance at a February 1,
2006 ICN. The guidance will be similar to the previously provided smallpox
plans. The local health guidance will be included in their Bio-Emergency Plans.
The regional Public Health Planners will play an integral role in the format
and content of the guidance for the plan. The basic prevention techniques will
be the same (covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, staying
home when ill, and washing your hands). Use of limited vaccines and antivirals
may be different, depending on the situation and who is most affected by the
pandemic virus. Also, some techniques like isolation and quarantine may be used
(which are not typically used, except on a voluntary basis, during the seasonal
flu). Districts are encouraged to work with their local health department,
Bio-Emergency Plan, and regional public health planner in future planning. Find
many resources on the IDPH website search pandemic
at: http://www.idph.state.ia.us and www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/flu.asp.
‘Fact Sheet Influenza (Flu) Recommendations
for Schools’ at: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/common/pdf/flu/flu_school.pdf.
‘Influenza
is an acute, highly contagious respiratory disease. It is characterized by
abrupt onset of fever, body aches, sore throat, headache and cough.
Approximately one in four children will also have vomiting, diarrhea and
nausea.
• Any
employee, student, teacher, or staff suspected of having influenza should not
attend school.
• Wash
hands several times a day using soap and warm water for 15-20 seconds (this is
generally around the time it takes to sing the ABC’s). Dry hands with paper
towels or automatic hand dryers if possible. In school, allow regular breaks
for the students and teachers to wash hands. Young children should be
instructed and assisted to ensure proper hand hygiene. Restrooms should be
checked regularly to ensure that soap and paper towels are always available.
• Influenza
can be spread from coughs or sneezes. Make sure tissues are available in all
classrooms. Students and staff should cover their mouths with their upper arm
or a tissue when coughing and use a tissue when sneezing or blowing their
noses. Tissues should be thrown away immediately followed by proper hand
hygiene.
• Alcohol-based
hand gels may be used in classrooms to minimize disruption. Hand sanitizer is
effective in killing germs on hands when they are not visibly soiled.
Appropriate times to use hand sanitizer are after coughing, sneezing, or
contact with infected surfaces (e.g. desk, doorknob).
• Schools
with 10 percent or more of their total enrollment absent on a given day due to
illness should report this to their local health department and the Iowa
Department of Public Health (1-800-362-2736). Reporting outbreaks assists in
disease surveillance and understanding the impact of influenza on the
community.
• Closure
of individual schools in the event of an outbreak has not proven to be an
effective way of stopping the spread of influenza but that decision should be
made by the appropriate school officials based on other considerations.
• Schools
should be extra-vigilant that ill students be excluded from sports activities,
choir or any activities that may involve close contact, since transmission of
influenza may be easier in these situations. All students and staff should
avoid sharing of saliva, i.e. sharing glasses, water bottles, other drinks, or
spoons/forks, or kissing, etc.
• School
buses, because of the enclosed space, may allow for easy spread of influenza.
Tissues should be available on the buses, and students should be encouraged to
cover nose and mouth while coughing or sneezing. Disinfect commonly handled
interior surfaces (i.e. door handles, hand rails, etc.) between loads of
students, if possible. Consider making alcohol-based hand gel available on
buses since hand washing facilities are not available.
• In
the school, clean commonly used surfaces such as door handles, handrails,
eating surfaces, desks, etc., frequently with disinfectant. (Bleach solutions
or commercial disinfectants are appropriate.)
Who
should get the influenza shot.
It
is recommended that everyone get the influenza vaccine. Certain people are at
risk for developing severe illness or complications from influenza and are
strongly encouraged to get the influenza vaccine every year. Those groups
include the following:
• persons aged >2 years with chronic health
conditions (e.g. heart and lung disease, asthma, diabetes, etc.);
• residents of long-term--care facilities;
• persons aged >50 years, especially those
over age 65;
• children aged 6--23 months;
• pregnant women;
• health-care personnel who provide direct
patient care;
• household contacts and out-of-home caregivers
of children aged <6 months.
Any otherwise healthy non-pregnant person aged
5-49 is eligible for the influenza nasal vaccine (FluMist®).
http://www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/flu_childcare.asp
Iowa Department of Public
Health, Center for Acute Disease Epidemiology, (800) 362-2736. Updated 9/22/05
For more flu information
go to: www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/flu.asp.’
The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has school flu
resources for educators, staff, and
parents on how they can help slow the spread of colds and flu, more information
on preventing the flu, materials and tools for schools at:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/.
Iowa Department of Public Health’s Protect Iowa Health
Campaign - Poster Contest
The Iowa Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) ‘Protect Iowa
Health’ campaign was launched to prepare for emergencies and educate Iowans
about the importance of creating an emergency supply kit and family
communications plan. As a part of this year activities, IDPH is sponsoring
a poster contest for 6th-8th graders. Your principal
will receive a packet in January containing a lesson plan, DVD and reference
materials for teachers to integrate preparedness discussions in class. After
learning about preparedness, students in 6th, 7th and 8th
grade are invited to participate in the IDPH preparedness poster contest. The contest
theme is “Protect Iowa Health: Prepare Because You
Care”. Information available at: www.protectiowahealth.org.
Contact: Nicole Peckumn, IDPH, Protect Iowa Health Campaign, Program
Manager, phone 515-242-5524, e-mail npeckumn@idph.state.ia.us.
The Iowa Department of
Public Safety is sponsoring a poster contest for 5th graders to
raise awareness about the importance and value of Amber Alerts and to help
bring missing children home safely. Details at: www.icyd.org.
Online Iowa Medication Administration Course for Non
Health Licensed School Personnel
Since the
site was opened, 3,200 staff registered for the course and 2,207 completed the
17 units successfully. Fifty-seven percent of the school districts are
represented in the user database. There have been 750 course completions since
August 1, 2005. Successful course completion qualifies personnel to safely
administer medication at school. These non health licensed school employees
register for the course online, receive a password, complete the course with a
100% score, print a satisfactory course completion certificate, demonstrate
medication administration to the nurse, and keep the certificate on file at
school. The course and guidelines are at: http://www.iowaschoolmeds.com. Revisions continue, please send your ideas to: Barb Smith, bssmith@mac.com. An evaluation of the materials
will be sent to you soon.
School Wellness Policy III: Goals that Work
The third in the continuing series
of ‘School Wellness Policy’ is offered on the ICN February 28, 2-3:15 pm and
3:15-4:15 pm and March 1, 3-4p m. School personnel that have changed practice and
policies in food service, physical education, classroom practices, and more and
guidelines for writing policy that can be monitored will be shared.
For more information
go to: http://www3.iptv.org/iowa_database/event-detail.cfm?ID=6435.
The first two sessions will be rebroadcast I: January 12 and
February 9 at: http://www3.iptv.org/iowa_database/event-detail.cfm?ID=6367
and II: January 17 and February 16 at: http://www3.iptv.org/iowa_database/event-detail.cfm?ID=6370.
The Iowa Association of School Boards model policy is online at:
http://www.ia-sb.org/policylegal/wellnesspolicy.asp
Public Access Defibrillator Program
March 2005, the Iowa
Administrative Code chapter 132 was rescinded and registration is no longer
required for Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) programs. PAD Documents at: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/ems/aed_pad.asp.