Communicable Corner 1/13/12
By: Colleen Ziebol, Licensed School Nurse
Happy New Year and welcome to the Valley View Communicable Corner; a weekly column to share the latest trends in communicable illness. The intent of this column is to keep parents informed and to minimize the spread of infectious illness at school. The following cases of communicable illness were reported the week of January 9 – January 13: Mononucleosis – two cases (one case grade 6 and one case grade 8). The average daily student absence this week, related to illness was 30 students/day. This represents an increase of 2 students/day from last week. Trends in presenting symptoms include gastrointestinal pain, vomiting, and symptoms associated with the common cold.
Although there were no reports of Pertussis this week, parents are encouraged to be vigilant of symptoms associated with Pertussis, which in early phases often presents similar to the early stages of the common cold - runny nose, watery eyes, possible low-grade fever, and a mild cough. After one to two weeks, a persistent cough develops. The cough occurs in bursts and may end with a high-pitched whooping sound and sometimes precipitate vomiting. Between bursts of coughing, the person appears well. Coughing attacks may continue for 4 to 6 weeks and are more common at night. Pertussis can lead to pneumonia, particularly in infants. Bloomington Public Health encourages parents to have your child evaluated by a health care provider if they present with symptoms consistent with Pertussis or develop a cough that persists beyond one week. If your child has any symptoms consistent with Pertussis s/he should be evaluated by a healthcare provider. More information on Pertussis, along with an audio of the characteristic cough may be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/ and http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/support/healthservices/pdfs/pertussis.pdf. Keep in mind that although your child may be vaccinated, it is not always 100% effective, and immunity decreases over time.
The Minnesota Department of Health did not receive any reports of outbreak of influenza-like illness (ILI) during week one, in Minnesota schools. Since the start of the season, 14 outbreaks of ILI have been reported. Information on influenza, including can be found at State Department of Health’s website: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/flu/index.html. The most current information about the spread of the flu in the US can be found at: Flu.gov.
The weather is getting colder and the building is dry with the heat on. Many students have been stopping by the health office to request Chapstick which is not stocked. Increase your child’s comfort by sending Chapstick and lotion that your child can place in their locker to use throughout the school day. Remember, good hand washing and hygiene practices, such as covering your cough, can stop the spread of communicable illness including influenza. Routine washing of PE clothes also promotes health and wellness. Parents, please remind your child to bring their gym clothes home on a weekly basis to be laundered.