Letter Home to Parents October 13, 2009

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Dear Parents, Students and Staff:

There has been a lot in the news lately about the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as Swine Flu. I want to assure you that the health and well-being of our staff and students remain our top priority. The Upper Canada District School Board has a board wide pandemic response plan in place that deals with everything from infection control to ensuring our staff and students continue to work and learn should other staff take time off to recover from illness.

We are co-operating with area health units, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, our teachers’ federations and other partners to ensure we are doing everything necessary to protect your health.

This fall we are seeing two types of flu within our communities – the seasonal flu virus and the pandemic H1N1 virus.  In Ontario, the majority of cases of this new flu strain have been in healthy young adults and most cases have been mild. Younger children are at risk of infection, possibly because they don’t wash their hands consistently or use proper etiquette when sneezing or coughing.

I want to use this letter to tell you a little about the new strain, what we are doing at the Board to protect you, and what you can do at home to limit the spread of the flu and keep yourself and others healthy.

Symptoms of H1N1 are similar to seasonal flu including headache, chills and cough followed by fever, loss of appetite, muscle aches and fatigue, runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes and throat irritation. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may occur in adults as well as in children.  In more severe cases, or in people with chronic conditions, complications such as pneumonia may develop.

Under our pandemic response plan, we are taking steps within our schools to prevent the spread of H1N1 including:

·         Watching students for symptoms of H1N1;

·         Consulting with the local health units on infection prevention and control;

·         Ensuring soap and water are available for hand washing, as well as placing hand sanitizer (used under adult supervision) in areas where hand washing is not available; and,

·         Frequently cleaning commonly touched surfaces and items.

There are also steps you can take at work and at home to help us prevent the spread of the virus:

·         Teach your children to wash their hands with soap and water thoroughly and often;

·         Keep sanitizer (gel or wipes) handy at work and in your car;

·         Teach your children not to share personal items such as pens and pencils, drinks and food;

·         Teach your children to cough or sneeze into their sleeve or a tissue, not their hands;

·         This includes teaching them to dispose of tissues in the garbage immediately, and to follow-up by washing their hands or using hand sanitizer; and,

·         Keep sick children at home, and stay at home yourself if you fall ill, until both of you are able to fully participate in all normal day-to-day activities.

The best way to beat the H1N1 flu is to all work together. If you need any more information on how to stay healthy during flu season, please contact your local health unit by visiting the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit Web site at www.healthunit.org or the Eastern Ontario Health Unit Web site at www.eohu.ca. Information can also be found on the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Web site at www.ontario.ca/flu and the UCDSB Web site at www.ucdsb.on.ca.

Thanks for helping us keep our staff, students and our communities healthy.

Sincerely, 

David Thomas

Director of Education