Spring Allergies
April showers bring May flowers--and pollen! If your student suffers from Spring allergies, Health Services can help. We are happy to keep over-the-counter allergy medicines such as Zyrtec, Claritin or Allegra for your student to take during the school day. If this is something you're interested in doing, please fill out our over-the-counter medication consent form, sign the bottom and send it to your student's health office. Medications must be sent in the original container-please no pills in baggies, tupperware or other unlabeled containers. Each health office does keep oral Benadryl in stock, for those with life-threatening allergic reactions. It is not recommended to be used as a first-line treatment for seasonal allergies and careful consideration should be taken when administering Benadryl at school, given that it can result in drowsiness.
It can be difficult to determine whether red, itchy and watery eyes are a result of Spring allergies or are a result of a bacterial or viral infection that may need further evaluation. See below for a quick run-down of symptoms, treatment and the District's guidelines on exclusion from school for pink eye.
Bacterial pink eye: Symptoms include yellow or green colored, sticky discharge from the affected eye. Eyes are often very itchy and the eyelids may become swollen. You may notice your child's eyelids are crusted shut, especially in the morning. This must be treated with antibiotic ointment or eye drops and will then typically clear within 5-7 days.
Viral pink eye: Discharge is normally watery but may be sticky and yellow in the morning. Eyelids can become very swollen. Symptoms typically follow a recent cold or sore throat. Antibiotic ointments or eye drops will not help with viral pink eye. Eye wash solutions such as Artificial Tears can help relieve symptoms. Contact your Provider if symptoms do not improve within 7-14 days.
MSD's Health Services Department follows the DHS Wisconsin Childhood Communicable Disease guidelines for exclusion practices from school. For the majority of pink eye cases, students do not have to be excluded from school. Circumstances that would result in your student being excluded from school include fever or if the student is unable to refrain from touching their affected eye. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Stephanie Peplinski, District Nurse, at peplins@mcfsd.org.
