Anyone can get the flu (Even healthy people).
3520 General DeGaulle Drive * Suite #5055 * New Orleans, Louisiana * 70114
(504) 304-5660 office (504) 309-2865 fax
Darryl C. Kilbert, Superintendent
August 26, 2009
Dear Parent(s):
Anyone can get the flu (even healthy people). So far with the H1N1 virus, the largest numbers of cases are with people between the ages of 5 to 24 years old. The flu can easily spread from person to person. We are taking precautions to reduce the spread of flu in our schools. With our effort to keep school open to students and functioning in a normal manner during this flu season, we need your assistance.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends several ways you and your family may keep from getting sick with the flu at school and at home:
- Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing.
- Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder.
- If your child is sick with a flu like illness, CDC recommends that your child stay at home for at least 24 hours until the fever is gone (without the use of fever-reducing medicine).
Follow these steps to prepare for the flu during the 2009-2010 school year:
- Plan for child care at home if your child gets sick or their school is dismissed.
- Plan to monitor the health of the sick child and any other children in the household by checking for fever and other symptoms of flu.
- Identify if you have children who are at higher risk of serious disease from the flu and talk to your healthcare provider about a plan to protect them during the flu season. Children at high risk of serious disease from the flu include: children under 5 years of age and those children with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.
- Identify a separate room in the house for the care of sick family members.
For more information:
•· Visit: http://www.flu.gov/
•· Contact CDC 24 Hours/Every Day at 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)
We are working closely with the Department of Public Health and the Louisiana Health Department to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Darryl Kilbert, Superintendent
Orleans Parish Public Schools
