Schools prepare for flu season By Richard Irwin Staff Writer, Walnut Highlander September 18, 2009 Schools prepare for flu season in Walnut, Hacienda and Rowland Heights Area students are once again back in school learning their ABCs. Only this year, they're the ABCs of flu prevention. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Be sure to wash your hands often with soap and water. Cover your cough. Don't go to school ill. Ensure your child is vaccinated. Using these common sense procedures, health officials believe we can contain any outbreak of the flu, whether it's the regular flu or the H1N1 strain that everyone is worried about. Flu cases actually began appearing in local schools last spring. Nogales High School in La Puente reported several cases, as did Evergreen Elementary in Diamond Bar. Hacienda La Puente Unified didn't have any flu cases until the very last day of school, according to Gayle Rogers, director of student family services. "We spent the summer working on an action plan to handle any flu outbreaks," said Cindy Rose Escamilla, health services specialist for the Rowland Unified School District. The nurse-practitioner proudly displayed a thick binder of instructions, outlining the district's plans for any epidemic. "I wrote it all down so someone would know what to do in case I got sick ," said Escamilla with a grin. Teachers in all the districts are encouraging their students to prevent the spread of the flu by washing their hands whenever they can. "Every classroom has a sink or a hand sanitizing station," the nurse noted. "By the way, the cleansing lotion doesn't contain any alcohol." The districts are helping the Los Angeles County Department of Health track the flu by reporting suspected cases to the health agency. "If we get a cluster of five sick students in a school, we report it to the county health department. Then we call the parents to see what the illness is," Escamilla said. Health Assistant Teresa Munoz was busy calling parents at one school that had five absences that day. A couple parents reported flu-like symptoms. "Last spring, we asked the county to come out to Evergreen Elementary to take nasal swabs so we could confirm whether it was the H1N1 or not," explained Terry Guest, a nurse for the Walnut Valley Unified School District. "Tests showed only two had H1N1." Districts want to be pro-active this flu season. Colorful posters decorate the schools and bathrooms, encouraging students to wash their hands. The signs come in many languages. On Monday, Guest was out in the classroom teaching a group of kindergartners the proper way to wash. She told them to use plenty of soap and hot water to wash for at least 20 seconds. To a youngster that's about as long as it takes to sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice. The common courtesy of covering your mouth when you cough will also go a long way to breaking the cycle of spreading the flu. Using a tissue is best, but kids shouldn't cough into their hands. That will only spread the virus to any surfaces the child may touch. Health officials suggest coughing into your elbow if a tissue isn't handy. But it's best if sick students stay home. "If your child has a temperature more than 100 degrees, they should stay home from school," Escamilla said. Other flu-like symptoms include headache, tiredness, dry cough, runny nose, muscle aches, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhea. "They need to stay home until at least 24 hours after the fever breaks. And that's without the use of any fever-reducing medicine," added Guest. Parents should plan for alternative childcare if a sick child has to stay home from school. Employers should develop plans to allow working parents time to stay home with any sick children. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health says this will minimize the spread of the disease and safeguard the health of our community. As usual, if a student becomes ill at school, he will be sent to the nurse's office. Children with physical ailments, such as cuts and bruises, will be kept away from students with flu-like symptoms. If the nurse's office becomes too crowded, Escamilla said Rowland plans to use empty classrooms or even the school library if necessary. "School staff handling sick students will be offered masks for their protection. If a student is coughing, they may also have a mask," explained Hacienda's top health official. School nurses will be called for any illness. Many school districts across the state have had to cut nursing staffs because of huge deficits caused by California's fiscal problems. "We went from seven nurses to four, but we have 11 medical assistants," noted the Rowland health specialist. These nurses drive between their assigned schools, but they're available for any of the 23 campuses if needed. Hacienda La Puente Unified has nine nurses serving its 34 schools. Walnut Valley has three nurses for 16 campuses. Rogers said Hacienda La Puente has also put together a special maintenance team to clean any classrooms or schools that experience a flu outbreak. But health officials hope to contain the flu by encouraging everyone to get flu vaccinations. Many drugstores and supermarkets already offer the flu shots for the regular flu strain. The County Department of Public Health will begin a series of flu outreach clinics on Sept. 22 at the La Puente Senior Center. There will be several in every area of our community. Residents may get a free flu vaccination if they're in one of the high risk groups: 50 years or older Children 6 months through 18 years of age Pregnant women Anyone with a chronic illness such as asthma, heart or lung disease, diabetes or kidney disorder, or who is immunocompromised from medication or diseases such as HIV Caregivers of children less than 6 months old and household contacts of high-risk people listed above. Vaccines for the H1N1 virus should be available in mid-October. "We already offer a vaccination clinic in Rowland Unified, so we ordered the new vaccine whenever it becomes available," said Escamilla. Rogers said Hacienda La Puente Unified nurses are available to help vaccinate against the H1N1 if needed. Between vaccinations and good health hygiene in the classroom, district officials hope to stop the flu from spreading throughout our schools. They figure if everyone follows the ABCs of flu prevention, our schools won't get an F for failing to stop a flu epidemic. Shown: Marcia Hansen teaches kindergarten students how to wash their hands properly at Maple Hill Elementary School in Diamond Bar. (Photo by Kelli Gile / Courtesy of Walnut Valley Unified School District) Walnut Valley Unified school nurse Terry Guest shows kindergartner Julie Kim how to check her hands under an ultraviolet light to see if she washed them properly at Maple Hill School Kindergartner Ryan Ormes checks his hands under an ultraviolet light at Maple Hill Elementary School in Diamond Bar