Nurse's Website

Spring 2009

Swine Flu Information:

As always, if your child has a fever over 100 degrees and a cough, a sore throat or nasal congestion Please Keep Him/Her Home. If in addition to the above symptoms your child has developed these within 7 days of close contact with a person with a confirmed case of H1N1 (Swine Flu), or within 7 dyas of traveling to a community where there is a confirmed case of H1N1 virus, then your child should see his or her primary care physician to have a nasal swab done. This should happen within two days of developing the symptoms as the antiviral drugs used to treat the flu and lessen the symptoms should be started within the first two days of symptoms. If your child has traveled to an area where there are confirmed cases of H1N1 virus, he or she should check in daily with the school nurse for 7 days after their return home. Please call the school nurse if you have any questions about this. We are available at 726-8904.

Changes in NH State Immunization Law Effective 2009-2010 School Year

Be aware that next school year a child who is 11 years of age or older must receive a one-time dose of Tdap Vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis) if it has been five years or longer since the last documented dose of a tetanus immunization (medical contraindication to pertussis allows a tetanus and diphtheria only vaccine.) Also, all incoming kindergarten students, first graders and sixth graders who do not have a history of chickenpox (varicella) vaccine. Kindergarteners who have had chickenpox will be required to show documentation of immunity by a confirmig lab test. History of disease are reported by a healthcare provider, or parent, is acceptable for first grade through twelth grade, should be documented in the student's health record.

Please call your child's healthcare provider if you have a child enrolling in elementary school or sixth grade or if your child is turning 11 prior to the beginning of the 2009 school year to make sure your child is up to date. If you need to take your child in for required shots, please get an updated immunization record for the school nurse and bring it in, or have your physician fax it to the school nurse at Thornton Central School at 726-3801. Any questions about this or about what we have here at school for your child, please feel free to call Mrs. McCall or Mrs. Mills at 726-8904.

Flu is in our area. People are contagious from one day before symptoms to up to 5 days after illness starts. If your child sees the doctor for high fever, muscle aches, headache and cough and has a positive flu nasal swab, please call the nurse at school so we can track how many cases are at Thornton and keep your child home for at least 5 days. Also, please get a doctor's excuse for school and send it in. There are antiviral drugs available if the diagnosis is made early.

Be aware of recent outbreaks of Salmonella nationwide, including NH. The Salmonella was linked to peanut butter made by King Nut or called Parnell's Pride Peanut Butter. Good websites with information about this are http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/typhimurium/ or www.kingnut.com/site.cfm/news.cfm We do NOT serve peanut butter at TCS.

Recent outbreaks of the Norovirus have occured in NH. This is often called the stomach "flu" and may involve vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps and sometimes a low grade fever. It usually lasts 1-2 days and is caused by a virus so is not usually treated with medications. Please keep your child home if he/she has vomited within the past 12 hours, is having diarrhea, is unable to keep down fluids or has a fever.

It is not too late to have your child get a flu shot. Call his/her physician if you are interested.

Update your emergency phone numbers with the main office when they change so the nurse can reach you if necessary.

LICE Information: our school head lice policy changed last December and our “no nit” policy is no longer in effect. Pediatricians and the CDC do not recommend the “no nit” policy as lice do not spread disease but are mainly a nuisance. They are spread by direct head to head contact or frequently at sleepovers where pillows or personal hair care items are shared such as brushes, combs, scrunchies or hats. The school nurses advise that you check your child’s head frequently and especially if you notice he/she is itching a lot. A very good web site with lots of information is the cdc site which is www.cdc.gov/lice/head/factsheet.html. Be aware that anyone can get headlice, they are not a sign of poor hygiene! Please call us if you would like us to check your child’s head or if there has been exposure to someone with head lice so we can help you decide what to do. Lice products SHOULD NOT BE OVERUSED! YOU SHOULD NOT TREAT YOUR CHILD UNLESS LICE OR NITS ARE FOUND! Call us if you have any questions at all about head lice or home clean up after exposure to someone with lice.

Please do not send your child to school with a cough which cannot be controlled and/or a fever over 100 degrees. Another reason to keep your child home is vomiting, inability to keep down clear liquids or diarrhea.

 Remember, the best way to prevent any contagious disease spread is GOOD HYGIENE. Tell your children to wash hands for 15 seconds before eating, after coughing or sneezing, or after touching any infected appearing skin wounds (red, painful, draining pus).

New Hampshire Healthy Kids   Are you interested in health insurance for your child or children? Check out the following web site www.healthykids.com  (you can even download an application form at this site) or call Mrs. Mills or Mrs. McCall at 726-8904. If your children are currently uninsured and you need help filling out the necessary forms for NH Healthy Kids, Stacy Lembo who works in the billing department at Speare Memorial Hospital is trained to help you with this. Call her at 238-6471 and she will help you!!

Medications to school   Please don’t send pills to school in baggies.The school nurse can only give medications which arrive in a labeled bottle (prescriptions or over the counter medications.) Our medication policy is on page 29 of the TCS 2008-2009 Handbook. ALSO, PLEASE BRING IN MEDICATIONS TO THE NURSE SO YOU CAN SIGN THE APPROPRIATE FORM GIVING HER PERMISSION TO MEDICATE YOUR CHILD. Children should not be carrying medications in school unless it is an inhaler or EpiPen and you have given permission for this to happen.

Sports Physicals for 5th – 8th gradersmust be on file with the school nurse for your child to play on a school team. Our policy is to have one done between 5th & 8th grade unless there is an injury in that time frame. PLEASE CALL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS POLICY. I am happy to check and see if I have one on file for your child.

 Most physicians are now encouraging parents to limit the amount of time your child spends in front of the TV, computer, or game screens to 2 hours a day. Also, physicians are encouraging healthy eating such as 5 fruits & veggies per day, less sugary, fatty foods, less fast foods, etc. WEARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGING PARENTS TO SEND IN HEALTHY SNACKS &TO BRING IN HEALTHY TREATS FOR CLASSROOM PARTIES. PLEASE SPEAKWITH YOUR CHILD’S CLASSROOM TEACHER ABOUT THIS BEFORE ANYPARTIES. Some good web sites relating to this are the following: http://www.fns.usda.gov, www.state.ct.us/sde/deps/student/nutritioned/#Healthy_CelebrationsBW.pdf, www.mom-rd.com, or www.mypyramid.gov. 

Local Websites with helpful medical information include:

Midstate Health at www.midstatehealth.org and

Plymouth Pediatrics at www.ppam.yourmd.com

Immunization Information: There are new Tetanus booster immunizations which contain Pertussis now available for 10-18 year old children. State law requires that your child have a Tetanus booster if it has been 10 years since their last Tetanus shot (usually given at the 5 year Physical Exam)  Please get an updated copy of your child’s immunization record for the school nurse if she/he receives any vaccines.  Call Mrs. Mills if you have any questions about your child’s immunizations and what may be due and when. I would be happy to give you the NHstate Immunization Requirements for 2008-2009. Local pediatricians are recommending that your adolescent get the meningococcal vaccine so you may want to check that out at your child’s next Physical Exam. Also they are recommending the Guardicil immunization (a series of 3 shots for adolescent girls.) State Law requires that all students have either a varicella (Chicken Pox) shot or history of having had the ChickenPox  prior to entry into Sixth Grade and that all students have had two Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) shots prior to entry into Seventh Grade. If the school nurse does not have a record of your child receiving his/her second MMR or his/her varicella shot she will send you a letter in the spring.