COPY OF LETTER SENT TO SCHOOLS WITH REPORTED RESPIRATORY ILLNESS
Date:
Name
Facility Address
Dear.______,
Thank you for notifying the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control (BCDC) of the cluster of respiratory illness at your school. In order to prevent further transmission of illness, please promptly implement the following recommendations:
Facility-wide recommendations
§ The school nurse should review proper hand hygiene techniques with the staff and students this includes: frequent hand washing with soap and hot water or alcohol-based hand gel, especially after coughing or sneezing, after using the facilities or before eating.
§ Display DHHS hand washing poster in prominent school areas. It may be downloaded from http://www.dhhs.state.nh.us/DHHS/BCDCS/LIBRARY/Fact+Sheet/hand-washing.htm
§ Maximize facility ventilation by opening windows as appropriate.
§ Discourage close group activities to minimize close contact between students.
§ Review with janitorial staff the need for extra vigilance in cleaning frequently touched surfaces daily or more often to decrease the spread of bacteria and viruses.
§ Provide for sanitary disposal of tissues containing oral and nasal secretions.
§ Identify students who are at high risk for complications of respiratory illness (immunocompromised, asthmatics, other chronic medical conditions, etc.)
Staff-specific recommendations
§ Staff should be alert to ill students in their classroom, and those students should be sent to the school nurse for evaluation.
§ Staff should be reminded not to come to work while sick.
§ Staff who are out of work with respiratory illness should remain out until 24 hours past resolution of fever without the aid of fever reducing medications.
§ Staff sent home should not “moonlight” at other facilities during their illness.
§ Health care provider approval to return to work should be considered as needed.
Student-specific recommendations
§ Ill students should not come to school.
§ Ill students should not return to school until 24 hours after resolution of fever without the aid of fever reducing medications.
§ Encourage students and staff to cover their mouths while coughing either with their sleeve or with a tissue.
§ Follow directions for sanitary disposal of tissues contaminated by oral/nasal secretions.
If disease transmission occurs beyond the initially affected classroom/wing, the CDCS may issue a second phase of infection control recommendations.
Please prepare the following and fax to the Communicable Disease Control Section at (603) 271-0545:
1. A current list of all ill students and staff using the attached respiratory illness case line list form.
2. A daily update of all newly ill students and staff using the attached case line list form.
3. A facility floor plan that includes all units/wings/floors.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Communicable Disease Control Section
Division of Public Health Services