Take the following steps at ALL times, not only during a flu pandemic, to help reduce the likelihood of students and yourself from getting sick with flu.

• Educate and encourage students to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. Remind them to cover coughs or sneezes using their elbow instead of their hand when a tissue is not available.

• Remind students to practice good hand hygiene and to wash their hands as often as necessary.

• Be a good role model by practicing good hand hygiene and covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

• Observe for sick students and send them to the school health office or other designated location for further evaluation. Sick people should stay at home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine).

• Clean surfaces and items that are more likely to have frequent hand contact such as desks, door knobs, keyboards, or pens, with the cleaning agents that are normally used in these areas.

• Teachers should stay home when sick. Stay home until at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine).

• If you are pregnant, have asthma, diabetes, or other conditions that put you at higher risk for complications from the flu, you should speak with your doctor as soon as possible if you develop symptoms of flu-like illness. People at high risk of flu complications who develop flu can benefit from early treatment with antiviral medicines.

• If you have children, plan ahead for child care if your child gets sick or his or her school is dismissed.

For more information:

• See: www.nyhealth.gov, www.flu.gov, http://usny.nysed.gov/swine-fluinfo.html, www.schoolhealthservices.org.

• NYSDOH H1N1 Flu Hotline: 1-800-808-1987

• 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)

• 1-888-232-6348 (CDC TTY)

To prepare for flu during the 2009-2010 school year parents should consider the following action steps:

• Get your family vaccinated for seasonal flu and H1N1 flu when vaccines are available.

• Consider the use of fever-reducing medications that contain acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen (such as Motrin). These medicines can be given to people who are sick with flu to help bring their fever down and relieve their pain. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) should not be given to children or teenagers who have flu; this can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye’s syndrome.

• As the sick person begins to feel better you may decide to stop giving fever-reducing medicines. Continue to monitor their temperature until the temperature has been normal for 24 hours.

• Plan for child care at home, for at least 5 days, if your child gets sick or their school is dismissed.

• Plan to monitor the health of the sick child and any other children by checking for fever and other symptoms of flu.

• Update emergency contact lists.

• Identify a separate room in the house for care of sick family members. Consider designating a single person as the main caregiver for anyone who gets sick.

• Have games, books, DVDs and other items to keep your family entertained while at home.

• Talk to your school about their flu pandemic or emergency plan.

Tips for taking care of children (and other household members) with the flu:

• Stay home if you or your child is sick until at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of a fever-reducing medicine). Keeping sick students at home means that they keep their viruses to themselves rather than sharing them with others. Stay home even if taking antiviral medicines.

• Cover coughs and sneezes. Use a tissue and dispose of it properly after use. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve, not your hands. Clean hands with soap and water often and especially after coughing or sneezing.

• Keep sick household members in a separate room (a sick room) in the house as much as possible to limit contact with household members who are not sick. Consider designating a single person as the main caregiver for the sick person.

• Monitor the health of the sick child and any other household members by checking for fever and other symptoms of flu. A fever is a temperature taken with a thermometer that is equal to or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius). If you are not able to measure a temperature, the sick person might have a fever if he or she feels warm, has a flushed appearance, or is sweating or shivering.

• Watch for emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention. Warning signs include:

Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish or gray skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Not waking up or interacting
Not urinating or no tears when crying
Severe or persistent vomiting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

• Check with your doctor about any special care needed forhousehold members who may be at higher risk for complications from flu. For the H1N1 flu this includes children under the age of 5 years, pregnant women, and people younger than 65 who have chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease). Seasonal flu is a higher risk than H1N1 flu for people 65 years of age or older.

• If possible, a caregiver for the person who is sick should be someone who is not at high risk for complications of flu. If that is not possible, the caregiver should wear a facemask, if tolerated.

• Ask your doctor about antiviral medicines or fever-reducing medicines for sick household members who are at high risk for complications of flu.

• Do not give aspirin to children or teenagers; it can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye’s syndrome

• Make sure sick household members get plenty of rest and drink clear fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks or electrolyte beverages for infants) to keep from being dehydrated.

For more information:

• See: www.nyhealth.gov, www.flu.gov, http://usny.nysed.gov/swine-fluinfo.html, www.schoolhealthservices.org.

• NYSDOH H1N1 Flu Hotline: 1-800-808-1987

• New York City call 311

• 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)

• 1-888-232-6348 (CDC TTY)