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December 11, 2009
An H1N1 Vaccination Clinic will be held on Wednesday, December 16th from 4:00 - 6:00 PM for eligible pre-registered participants. To pre-register, go to www.ncdhd.org and follow the instructions for pre-registering. Upon confirmation of your pre-registration you will be given the location of the clinic for your child. If you do not have access to a computer, call the NCDHD at 860-745-0383 to pre-register.
Posted: 12-11-09
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H1N1 FLU (Swine Flu) Vaccination Clinic Coming to Enfield Public Schools
Dear Parent/Guardian:
The North Central District Health Department (NCDHD) will hold an H1N1 Flu Vaccination Clinic at an Enfield School on Monday, November 23rd from 4:00 to 9:00 PM for eligible pre-registered children. To pre-register your child go to www.ncdhd.org and follow the instructions for pre-registering. Upon confirmation of your pre-registration you will be given the location of the clinic for your child. If you do not have access to a computer, call the NCDHD at 860-745-0383.
Please note the following information from the NCDHD regarding this clinic:
+ Due to limited supply demands mist (nasal spray) will be offered for healthy children age 2 through 24 years of age;
+ Due to limited supply demands, shots (vials) will be used for the immune deficient;
+ Priority categories as stated below will be strictly enforced.
Due to the limited supply of H1N1 flu vaccine, at this time the following vaccine formulations are restricted for the following priority populations:
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Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent LAIV vaccine (nasal spray) should only be used for healthy individuals 2–49 years of age who are not pregnant AND who are in the following priority populations:
- Healthy children aged 24 months (2 years) through 24 years
- Healthy household contacts and caregivers of infants less than 6 months of age
- Healthy healthcare workers and Emergency Medical Services personnel who have direct contact with patients or infectious material. The supply of vaccine is not yet sufficient to offer vaccine to all health care workers who have direct patient care contact. Priority will be given to health care workers who have direct patient care contact with children.
Inactivated, injectable Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine ("shot") should only be use for the following priority populations:
- Pregnant women
- Household contacts and caregivers of infants less than 6 months of age
- All children aged 6 months through 83 months (age 6 months through 6 years)
- All persons age 7 through 24 years with high risk medical conditions
- Healthcare workers and Emergency Medical Services personnel who have direct contact with patients or infectious material. The supply of vaccine is not yet sufficient to offer vaccine to all health care workers who have direct patient care contact. Priority will be given to health care workers who have direct patient care contact with children.
The injectable form of H1N1 vaccine is in short supply and should not be used in healthy persons aged 2 years through 24 years if LAIV is available. |
A list of medical conditions that indicate a higher risk for influenza-related complications can be found here: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/highrisk.htm
Jeremy D. Plossay
Emergency Response Coordinator
North Central District Health Department
(W) 860-745-0383
(C) 860-716-0244
(F) 860-745-3188
jplossay@ncdhd.org
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November 6, 2009
Dear Parent/Guardian:
School closures due to influenza related illness are in the news. This update is intended to provide you with information as to our current situation. The Enfield Public Schools working in conjunction with Federal and State Health agencies, along with the North Central District Health Department, are advised and urged to stay open during this flu season. According to the CDC, school dismissal is the last of the recommended school responses to pandemic influenza. Should it become necessary to close an individual school(s) or the entire District, we will alert you.
A school wide absence rate of 40% is suggested as a cut point for considering school closures. For the week ending November 6th the Enfield Public Schools have seen a decrease in the total absence rate at most schools from the week ending October 30th. For example, Parkman School and Memorial School had absence rates in the 25% range last week. Today those two buildings are under 10% absence rates. However, we do have schools running a higher absence rate than last week such as Whitney School with an absence rate of 15% today. Whitney School’s rate this week has been “level” and according to the CDC that would be considered a good sign because it has not “spiked”.
I also want to make you aware of the State of Connecticut’s “H1N1 Situation Report”. This weekly report is prepared by the State Department of Public Health and the Department of Emergency Management & Homeland Security. It provides a brief overview of the H1N1 situation in Connecticut, as well as on the national and international levels. The report can also be accessed off the Town of Enfield’s web page. As stated numerous times before, www.flu.gov is also an excellent source for information on H1N1.
The most important support that you can provide for your child and his/her classmates is to keep your child home if ill and remain at home until fever and flu like symptoms disappear for 24 hours without the aid of medications. This is especially true if your school holds an after school event. Students absent from school should not attend after school events.
Finally, if school is not closed and you disagree with the decision to stay open please exercise your discretion as a parent and/or guardian and keep your child home from school. Simply contact the school office and state that you decided to keep your child home. Again, please keep sick children home, encourage hand washing, and practice appropriate covering of a cough or sneeze.
Sincerely,
John Gallacher, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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October 26, 2009
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian:
There has been a lot of media attention to the H1N1 flu. The CDC flu surveillance map shows CT as 1 of 4 states without widespread flu. As you may know, flu can be spread easily from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of flu in the Enfield Public Schools. We want to keep the schools open to students and functioning in a normal manner as the flu season approaches. But, we need your help. Here are a few things you can do to help.
- Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap& water or an alcohol based hand rub. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.
- Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food, or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. If a tissue is not available, coughs and sneezes should be covered up with an elbow, arm or sleeve instead of their hand.
- Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100º F, 37.8º C or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
- Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever without using fever reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will help reduce the number of people who may get infected.
- Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any child, who is determined to be sick while at school, will be sent home.
Enfield Public Schools is working closely with the North Central District Health Department to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Trisha Vayda RN, BSN, NCSN
Nursing Supervisor
Additional Resources:
www.flu.gov or 1-800-CDC-INFO for the most current information about the flu
www.ct.gov/dph or 860-509-8000 for the more information about the flu in our state
www.ncdhd.org or 860-745-0383 for the more information about flu in our community
www.enfieldschools.org/healthservices or 860-763-8830 for school updates
2009 H1N1 and Seasonal Flu - What to Do If You Get Sick
Posted: 10-26-09