Hornet Health

Did you know that December 3-9 is National Handwashing Awareness Week? This week is observed during the first full week in December to educate individuals on the proper technique for handwashing and the importance of maintaining hand hygiene.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), handwashing is one of the most effective methods to prevent the spread of germs. Proper hand hygiene adherence is critical in health care settings and is one of the simplest and most cost-effective elements of infection prevention but remains unacceptably low.

https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html

When we are in the midst of flu season, all parents, guardians, students, faculty and staff should be aware of flu symptoms in order to conduct self-screenings and to refer students to the nurse's office for evaluation. We also want to reinforce good practices regarding hand-washing and proper coughing techniques to help prevent the spread of germs in school and home settings.

Flu symptoms include the following:

· Fever (100.4°F or greater)

· Cough

· Sore throat

· Runny or stuffy nose.

· Body aches

· Chills

· Headache

· Diarrhea

· Fatigue

· Vomiting

If you think you or your child has the flu:

· Please stay home. Do not send your child to school.

· Avoid close contact with others for 3-5 days.

· Students may return when they have been fever free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication AND symptoms have improved.

· Medical evaluation and doctor’s notes are encouraged to ensure absences are excused

Everyone should practice and encourage others to:

· Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Drop the used tissue in a wastebasket. If a tissue is not available, cough into the crook of your elbow or sleeve.

· Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand gel.

· Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

As a reminder, please review the WCS medication policy.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_AX5Ux6uGvBwtcJr5bQkL8HPDJmAMbD9/view?usp=sharing

Student health services will be providing yearly mass vision screenings for 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th grade students. These screenings will begin in January. Please allow the school to test your student’s vision by signing the Vision Screening permission form.

If you wish to opt out of these services, please return the opt out form.