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Influenza information
UPDATE:
 Flu
season arrives in HFM BOCES region
Good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette encouraged
for all students and staff
The
fall flu season has begun. The New York State Health Department
has received reports of college outbreaks and many individual
community cases of the flu. According to the State Health
Department, the new H1N1 flu virus is the predominant strain
circulating in New York State so far this year. However,
seasonal flu is expected to circulate along with the new H1N1
virus during the fall-winter-spring flu season. Historically,
each year the flu causes 36,000 deaths nationwide and about
2,000 deaths in New York State.
HFM
BOCES continues to focus on early identification of students and staff who are
ill and should be excluded from school and all school-related
activities, and to encourage good hand hygiene and respiratory
etiquette.
The
New York State Department of Health and State Education
Department have established guidelines that encourage all
members of the school community staff, parents and students,
to take an active role in limiting the spread of infection. This
will require increased vigilance among parents, caregivers, and
school staff to identify students and staff with influenza-like
illness, in particular looking for respiratory symptoms
associated with fever.
Flu vaccine Q&A
According to the State Health Department, vaccination is the
most effective way to prevent the flu. HFM BOCES, along with its
15 component schools, have agreed to serve as locations for
vaccination clinics if asked by the county health departments.
HFM
BOCES is not providing seasonal flu shots or H1N1 vaccinations
for its employees, or offering any recommendation whether a flu
shot is appropriate for you. We encourage every member of our
staff to become informed about influenza-like illness, and make
their own decision regarding vaccinations. Up-to-date
information is available from your personal physician, as well
as at www.flu.gov.
What is the H1N1
flu vaccine?
Are the H1N1 flu vaccines
safe?
Is this vaccine part of
the seasonal influenza vaccine that is recommended every year?
Will the seasonal flu
vaccine provide protection against the 2009 H1N1 flu virus?
Do I still need to get the
seasonal flu vaccine?
What is the H1N1 flu vaccine?
On
Sept. 1, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
announced its approval of a new vaccine to protect against the
pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus. The vaccines will be
administered in two types. One is administered via nasal spray,
and contains a live, attenuated virus. An injectable version of
the vaccine, or shots, contains inactivated virus. Information
on both types of the H1N1 vaccine can be found at
www.flu.gov.
[back]
Are the H1N1 flu
vaccines safe?
The
Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent vaccines are manufactured and
tested using the same processes used for the seasonal vaccine.
Many millions of doses of seasonal vaccine have been distributed
every year for many years, and seasonal vaccines have a
well-established safety profile. People who have a severe
(life-threatening) allergy to chicken eggs or to any other
substance in the vaccine should not be vaccinated. Everyone
should make an informed decision about flu vaccines in
consultation with their personal physician.
[back]
Is this vaccine part of the seasonal influenza
vaccine that is recommended every year?
No,
this is a stand-alone vaccine and is separate from the seasonal
influenza vaccine. [back]
Will the seasonal flu vaccine provide protection
against the 2009 H1N1 flu virus?
No.
Although the currently licensed seasonal flu vaccines contain an
H1N1 subtype, their subtype differs from the 2009 H1N1 influenza
virus, which is a new virus strain that has never before
circulated among humans. [back]
Do I still need to
get the seasonal flu vaccine?
According to the state health department, it is still important
that individuals for whom the seasonal flu vaccine is
recommended receive it.
CDC
statistics show that between 5 and 20 percent of the U.S.
population are infected with seasonal flu each year. More than
200,000 people are hospitalized from its complications and about
36,000 people die.
According to state and federal health officials, vaccination is
the best protection against influenza and can prevent many
illnesses and deaths. Since flu viruses change almost every
season, there is always a possibility of a less than optimal
match between the vaccine and the virus strains that end up
causing the most illness. However, even if the vaccine and the
circulating strains are not an exact match, the vaccine may
reduce the severity of the illness or may help prevent
flu-related complications. [back]
CDC dispels myths about flu vaccine
Myth: The flu shot injects a
disease into your arm.
Fact: Both the seasonal and 2009 H1N1 flu shots are
inactivated vaccines that contain killed/inactivated influenza
virus. The nasal spray H1N1 vaccine contains a live, but
weakened form of the virus that does not cause flu illness.
According to the CDC and New York State Department of Health,
these vaccinations are the best protection against contracting
the seasonal and 2009 H1N1 flu.
Myth: Healthy people are not
vulnerable to dying from the new 2009 H1N1 virus.
Fact: Both healthy people and people with underlying
conditions, such as asthma and diabetes and other chronic
diseases, are vulnerable to the 2009 H1N1 flu. CDC studies have
shown that about 70 percent of people who have been hospitalized
with this 2009 H1N1 virus have had one or more medical
conditions previously recognized as placing people at high
risk of serious seasonal flu-related complications. That leaves
30% of those hospitalized in the previously healthy category.
The 2009 H1N1 flu has especially affected young people ages 5 to
24. A recent study by the New England Journal of Medicine of 272
hospitalized H1N1 patients showed that although 60% of the
children who were hospitalized had an underlying condition, the
remaining 40 percent had no underlying condition. Since April,
81 children who contracted 2009 H1N1 flu have died.
Myth: Pregnant women should not get
the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine.
Fact: Pregnant women, even ones who are healthy, are at risk
from medical complications from the seasonal and 2009 H1N1 flu.
The CDC study of 1,400 adults who were hospitalized with 2009
H1N1 flu showed that 6 percent were pregnant.
What should parents do?
Family
Flu Symptom Checklist from the New York State Department
of Health
 What to do if you or your child develops flu-like symptoms
Fever (more than 100° F)
Cough
Sore throat
Runny nose
Muscle pain
Fatigue
Vomiting or diarrhea
Stay home for at least 24 hours
after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without
the use of fever-reducing medicine). A fever is defined as a
temperature of 100° F (37.8° C) or higher.
Keeping sick students at home
means that they keep their viruses to themselves rather than
sharing them. Ill children should not be out in public (day care
centers, stores, friends houses).
It is important to plan ahead. Families are urged to have a
family discussion now to consider options in advance of the
event of a school closing and arrange for child care other than
a group day care setting.
If your child becomes ill at
school, he/she should be picked up promptly from school once you
or another emergency contact person has been notified.
If you have asthma, diabetes, or
other conditions that put you at higher risk for complications
from the flu, you should speak to your doctor as soon as
possible.
Call or take your child
to a doctor right away if your child of any age has:
Fast breathing or trouble
breathing
Bluish or gray skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Severe or persistent vomiting
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child
does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improve but
then return with fever and worse cough
Has other conditions (like heart
or lung disease, diabetes, or asthma) and develops flu symptoms,
including a fever and/or cough.
Protect yourself against the flu
Practice good hand hygiene by
washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after
coughing or sneezing. Health officials recommend washing for 20
seconds, which is long enough to sing the Happy Birthday song
twice.
Try to avoid close contact with
sick people. Additionally, avoid sharing personal items, such as
drinks, food or unwashed utensils.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or
mouth. Germs spread this way.
Cover your mouth and nose with a
tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you dont have a tissue,
cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your
hands.
HFM BOCES schools are prepared
HFM BOCES Risk Management Coordinator David Aimone is working
with component districts and a bi-county emergency planning
committee, made up of local emergency planning coordinators,
health officials and key community leaders, to monitor the local
situation and coordinate the appropriate plan of action. He
pointed out that scenarios can change quickly.
"We have emergency plans, response teams, and communications
systems in place," Mr. Aimone said. "We are prepared to react
just as quickly to any situation that arises locally," he said.
In the event of a major flu outbreak in the HFM BOCES area, the
most current response will be posted on this page and
distributed through area schools.
Stay informed
Please keep in mind that this is an evolving situation. We are
receiving support and information on a regular basis from the
State Department of Health, the local County Departments of
Health, the State Education Department and the State Emergency
Management Office. For more information about Influenza-like
illness, please
visit the links below.
Information about Swine Flu Online
www.flu.gov
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
FAQ - State Health Department
H1N1 Fact Sheet for Parents - New York State Health Dept. |
