Mountain View Clinic

Sick day guidelines: Making the right call When you child has a cold

Should I keep my child home or send him or her to School?

Consider keeping your child home if he or she:

    Has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher.

    Has been vomiting

Has the symptoms that prevent him or her from participating in school, such as:

    Excessive tiredness or lack of appetite

    Productive cough, sneezing

    Headache, body aches, earache

    Sore Throat

A minor sore throat is usually not a problem, but a severe sore throat could be strep throat even if there is no fever.  Other symptoms of strep throat in children are headache and stomach upset.  Contact your pediatrician as your child needs a special test to determine if it is strep throat.

Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.  Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours.  Returning to school too soon may slow recovery and expose others unnecessarily to illness. 

Does my child have the flu?

The flu is serious!  Call your pediatrician at the first sign of flu symptoms, which typically come on suddenly, including

High fever

chills

headache

nausea, vomiting

dry cough

If you are unsure about the best way to treat your child's cold or flu, ask your school nurse, doctor, pharmacist or other healthcare provider.

How do I make my child feel better?

Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and put limits on TV watching

Encourage fluids; like water, soup, juice and ice

Help your child relax by reading him a story and giving him plenty of TLC

Consider using a cool mist humidifier

When used as directed, children's cough and cold medicines help relieve cough and cold symptoms while your child is getting better.  Read and follow the directions carefully and give the exact recommended dose for the child's age.  Do not use over the counter cough and cold medicines for children under the age of four.

How can I prevent my child from getting sick?

Teach your child to wash his or her hands frequently using plenty of soap and water.  Proper hand washing should take about 20 seconds or the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice

Teach your child to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their sleeve

Keep the child's environment tobacco free

Try to minimize the time your child spends with other children who have cough or cold symptoms

Pack easy to use products like disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers in your child's packpack to use when he or she is at school

Keep an annual well child exam to follow changes in your child's health

Keep all of your child's immunizations up to date

Serve a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.  Giving a daily vitamin may be recommended by your pediatrician

After your child is feeling better, clean all surfaces; wash the bedding and air out the room

Keep surfaces like door knobs, phones, remote controls, toys and keyboards clean

Always make sure to consult your doctor or school nurse if you have any questions

 

 

Clinic news

It is hard to believe we are half way through the month of October already.  We are already well underway to help staff and children remember simple ways to help prevent the spread of infection.  Ask your children about the Henry the Hand hand washing video that they all viewed.  Ask them to tell you the correct way to wash hands,  and ways to help prevent the spread of germs. Wash hands with soap and water for twenty seconds before and after eating, after using the toilet, after sneezing, coughing and wiping their noses, after playing outside and/or with shared toys and when they come home from school. remind them if a tissue is not available for a cough or sneeze, use their own arm to help cover instead of hands.  Also, encourage all to try and keep hands away from the face(eyes, nose, and mouth).  If used regularly, these simple measures can help slow the spread of infection.

Flu shots are also very important. Staff and their families had access to a flu clinic at Mountain View during the end of September.  Please check your local pharmacies, doctor offices, community centers and grocery stores for flu clinic availability.

Please check our school health services web page for many answers to health related questions/issues.  It is a wonderful website that gives access to all of our required medical forms, answers frequently asked questions, and has numerous links such as Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.  The website is www.CobbK12.org.  On the left side of the page under general information is the click for school health services.  In addition, if you have a student with nutrition questions if you click on lunch menu, this takes you to the nutrition page.  In addition to providing you with the menus, there are links for allergies and other nutrition questions.

Free friends & family CPR/AED Class

Free Friends & Family CPR/AED Class, courtesy of the Nadar Parman II Memorial Run.  Sunday, March 30th, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Temple Kol Emeth, 1415 Old Canton Road, Marietta, GA  30062,  (770) 973 - 3533.  Practice life saving techniques in emergency situations; gain the confidence to help a loved one in an emergency; learn how to use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and find out why they are showing up in YOUR schools.  Please RSVP to Sherri Parman, ssparman@bellsouth.net or call 404-483-7222.

Become Fit and Healthy

The number of overweight children and teenagers in the United States has tripled in the last three decades. In Georgia, 43 percent of third-graders were either overweight or obese in 2005.  Children who are overweight have a greater chance of developing health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and Type 2 diabetes.

QUIZ YOURSELF ABOUT YOUR FAMILY'S HEALTH

Is it time for a change?

Do you and your family:

• Plan meals and snacks?
• Eat meals together at home?
• Allow food to be left on plates?
• Turn the TV off during meals?
• Eat only at the table?
• Drink water more than other beverages?
• Take part in physical activity every day?

If you answered no to three or more questions, it might be time to make healthy lifestyle changes.

Did you know?

• A child's stomach is about the size of his fist.
• Hunger and thirst may feel the same.  Drink water before eating to make sure you are really hungry.
• Muscle weighs more than fat.  When you exercise,  you may seem to weigh more even when you're losing body fat.
• Your body is between 50 percnet to 60 percent water.  Your brain is 80 percent water.  Drink water to stay alert and healthy.
• Sweat helps cool the body during physical activity.
• Walking fast may equal the same amount of exercise as a light jog.
• Fruits and vegetables have special nutrients that help prevent disease.

Get Moving - How to Get Non-Athletes to be Physically Active

Team sports are a great way for kids to get their daily activity requirement, but competitive sports aren't for everyone.  Here are some ways to encourage your "non-athlete" to get up and get moving. 

• Some kids are embarrassed to participate in sports because they don't think they're good enough.  If this is the problem, find time to practice together. This may help build confidence.
• Some kids just don't like competing in sports.  That's OK; there are lots of other ways to be active. Examples are swimming, horseback riding, dancing, cycling, skateboarding, yoga, walking, etc.  Find out your child's interests.
• Don't make exercise a punishment.  Forcing your child to go out and play may increase resentment and resistance.  Try using physical activity to counter something your child doesn't want to do.  For instance, make it the routine that your child can ride a bike for 30 minutes before starting homework after school.  Your child will beg for 20 more minutes outside just to put off the homework.

Source:  Children's Healthcare of Atlanta/fit kids and AHA

MRSA (methycillan resistant staph aureus) FACTS

MRSA

What is Staphylococcus aureus?

These bacteria often referred to as “staph” is commonly found on the skin or in the nose of healthy people.  Sometimes staph causes a minor skin infection (pimple, pustule or boil) that can be treated conservatively, without antibiotics.  However, on occasion staph bacteria can cause more serious illnesses, such as infections involving soft tissue, bone, the bloodstream or the lungs.

MRSA is a type of staph germ that is hard to treat with some commonly used antibiotic medicines.  It has developed a resistance or the inability of certain antibiotics to kill the germ.  Because of resistance, MRSA can be difficult to treat and can lead to life threatening blood or bone infections.

What does MRSA infection look like?

It is often misdiagnosed as a spider bite.

Symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, pus, skin tenderness, pimples, boils or blisters.

MRSA infected skin lesions (sores) can change from skin or surface irritations to abscesses or serious skin infections.

If left untreated MRSA can infect blood and bones.

How is MRSA spread?

MRSA lives on skin and survives on objects and surfaces for more than 24 hours.

Drainage (pus) from skin sores can spread bacteria to other body parts or to other people.

MRSA can be found in places where there are crowds and is almost always spread by direct physical contact.

MRSA is also spread through touching objects such as towels, sheets, workout areas and sports equipment that have the MRSA germs on them.

How can I prevent MRSA infections?

According to the CDC, practicing the following good hygiene will help prevent skin infections:

   Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water.

   Keep cuts clean and covered with a proper dressing or bandage until they are healed.

   Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or anything contaminated by a wound.

   Avoid sharing personal items such as razors, towels, uniforms, and sports equipment

   that directly touches your body. 

   Clean and disinfect objects (such as sports equipment) before use.

   Wash dirty clothes, linens and towels with hot water and laundry detergent.   Using

   a hot dryer rather than air drying also helps kill bacteria.

   Avoid using unnecessary antibiotics.

If MRSA infection is suspected, always refer to your health care provider immediately for evaluation, possible culture to confirm, and treatment as needed.

Pesky Problem

HEAD LICE     DO NOT PANIC

Head lice are not an emergency and in most cases, do not pose any health risk.

Head lice cannot live off a human host for more than 24 - 48 hours.  Head lice cannot live on pets; Head lice cannot reproduce in carpets, furniture or other household furnishings.

Direct head to head contact with an infested person is the main way head lice are transmitted, but they may also be transmitted by sharing hats, scarves, headphones, combs, and other hair accessories.  Lice cannot jump, hop or fly, but they can crawl rapidly.

Head lice are small, wingless parasitic insects.  They are typically 1/6 - 1/8 inch long, brownish in color with darker margins.  The claws on the end of each of their six legs are well adapted to grasping a hair strand.  Female head lice glue their grayish-white to brown eggs(nits) securely to hair shafts.  The eggs are resistant to pesticides, and they are difficult to remove without a special 'nit-comb' and carefully removing manually.  The nits are generally near the scalp, but they may be found anywhere on the hair shaft.  A child cannot catch nits.  Nits can only be laid by live lice.

Watch for signs of head lice.  Check  your children every few days if head lice are reported in their school.  Lice are easier to eliminate if caught early.  Teach your children not to share hats, headgear, scarves, headphones, and grooming items and to avoid direct head to head contact.  To kill lice on bedding, clothes, etc.,wash and dry them as would ordinarily.  Never add any pesticide.  Vacuum materials that cannot be washed.  Wash stuffed animals or vacuum them thoroughly.  You can also put them in a hot dryer for 30 to 40 minutes. Wash brushes, combs or hair accessories with hot soapy water.

To remove lice/nits:

1. Work in a well lighted area or use a flashlight and hand lens.

2.  Use a grooming comb or hairbrush to remove tangles.  a hair detangler spray or other hair conditioner may aid in this process.

3.Divide hair into sections and fasten off the hair that is not being worked on.

4.  Use a lice comb to detect and remove lice and nits.Go through hair sections from the scalp to the end of the hair.  Nits are usually found close to the scalp but not always.Start at the base of the neck and section by section to the top of the head.  Then do each side the same way starting behind the ear and moving up.  You can also remove the nits by firmly grasping with your thumb and index finger and pulling down the entire hair shaft.

5.  Dip the comb in cup of hot soapy water or use tape to remove lice, nits or debris from the comb.

6.  Sift through the same section of hair and look for attached nits and live lice.

7. Move to the next section until the entire scalp and all hair has been checked.

8.  Screen the infected person every day for 10 days and regularly thereafter.

You cannot completely control head lice infestation with head lice shampoos alone.  You must combine shampoo treatment with manual removal.  Follow directions for head lice shampoos.  A second treatment is recommended 7 to 10 days after the first shampoo due to the life cycle of the lice egg.

A child will be excluded from school if live lice are found and or there are many nits present.  After proof of treatment and an improvement of the number of nits, they will will be able to return to school.

IS MY STUDENT WELL ENOUGH TO GO TO SCHOOL?

This is the time of year when we begin to see an increase in illnesses.  There can be an increase in respiratory and stomach related infections.  Please review the basic guidelines below, which can also be found on our Cobb County website.  By following these basic guidelines, we can all help prevent the spread of infection.  Thank you

1. Diarrhea/Watery Stools:
    a. Students will be sent home from school for:
        (1) More than two episodes of diarrhea occurring during a school
              day.
        (2) One episode of diarrhea if other symptoms are present
              (e.g. fever, abdominal discomfort, vomiting, etc.)
        (3) Soiling themselves or their clothing.
    b. Children may return to school 24 hours after the last diarrhea
        stool if they feel well and do not have a temperature over 99.5° F
        without taking a fever-reducing medication such as Tylenol.

2. Vomiting:
    a. Children will be sent home from school for:
        (1) More than one episode of vomiting occurring during a school
             day.
        (2) One episode of vomiting if other symptoms are present
             (e.g. fever, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, etc.).
        (3) Soiling themselves or their clothing.
    b. Students may return to school 24 hours after the last vomiting
        episode.

3. Fever (Normal oral temperature is 98.6 degrees F):
    a. Low-grade (Oral temperature 99.5 to 100.9 degrees F):
        (1) The school nurse will notify the parent/guardian of students
              with low-grade fever.
        (2) Students with low-grade fever may remain in school if no
             other symptoms are present.
        (3) Students will be sent home from school with low-grade fever if
             other symptoms (e.g. cough, sore throat, headache, abdominal
             discomfort, etc.) are present.
    b. High-grade:
        (1) Oral temperature of 101 degrees F or above:
             (a) Students will be sent home from school for a high-grade
                   fever.
             (b) Students may not return to school until free of fever for 24
                   hours.
             (c) Students will not be dismissed to the bus with a high-grade
                  fever.
        (2) Oral temperature of 104 degrees F or above:
             (a) The school nurse will institute measures to bring down the
                  child’s temperature:
                  1) Allow student to lie down on cot.
                  2) Ask/assist student to remove outer layers of clothing,
                      such as a jacket, sweater, second shirt, and shoes.
                  3) Do not place blanket on student.
                  4) Apply cool washcloth or towel to student’s forehead and
                      arm pits (if area is accessible). Keep cloths cool and
                      damp.
                  5) Offer sips of cool water only if student is not vomiting
                      and is free of abdominal pains.
             (b) The parent/guardian will be notified immediately.
             (c) The school nurse will initiate the school’s Emergency
                  Management Plan if the parent/guardian is unable to arrive
                  at school within fifteen minutes to pick up their student.
                  (See Section E of Rule JLC)
             (d) The school nurse will notify school administrator that 911
                   has been called.

4. Drainage:
    a. It is not necessary to exclude every student from school who has
        drainage from the nose, eye, ear or open sores.
    b. Exclusion from school will be at the discretion of the school nurse,
        and/or principal or designee based on the following criteria:
        (1) Color of discharge
        (2) Child’s personal hygiene skills and need for assistance
        (3) Classroom setting
        (4) Child’s developmental level

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