NOTE FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE

Symptoms of the flu may include fever and cough/or sore throat. Some people may also have a runny nose, body aches, headaches, chills, diarrhea and vomiting. The most important thing you can do to help keep the flu from spreading is to keep your child home when he/she is sick. Use this checklist (guidelines from the Dept. of Public Health) to determine:

WHEN SHOULD I KEEP MY CHILD HOME?
Has your child had a fever of 100.4 degrees or more in the past 24 hours? Yes or No
Does your child have a cough or sore throat? Yes or No
If you answered YES to both questions above, keep your child home. Your child has an influenza-like illness.

WHEN CAN MY CHILD RETURN TO SCHOOL?
Has your child had a fever of 100.4 degrees or more in the past 24 hours? Yes or No
Has your child had acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) in the past 24 hours? Yes or No
If you answered NO to both questions above, your child can return to school.

If you answered YES to one of the questions above, your child CANNOT return to school. Keep your child home for at least another day to observe for additional symptoms. Then use the checklist questions again to decide whether to keep your child home.

Children should be kept home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever (over 100.4 degrees, without the use of fever-reducing medicines like Tylenol, Motrin, or Advil.

For more information check-out the Mass. Dept. of Public Health influenza website: mass.gov/flu or www.mass.gov/dph/swineflu

Thank-you for your help in keeping our children and school healthy.