Swine Flu Health Emergency

In response to outbreaks of swine flu across North America and countries around the world, the U.S. has declared a public health emergency. While most school communities are not affected at this time, educators, the NSPRA and One Call Now recommends the following proactive communication about your district’s emergency preparedness plan.

Use One Call Now Parent Broadcast to:
•    Remind staff to stay home if they are ill.
•    Remind parents to keep children home if they are ill.
•    Remind parents, students and staff about preventive protocols (i.e., cover your cough, sneeze etiquette, regular hand washing) with teachers and students.

SAMPLE One Call Now Parent Broadcast SCRIPT:
Good Evening,

As you may already know, an outbreak of swine flu has caused the U.S. to issue a public health emergency. Although we do not have any known cases in our area, we are doing everything possible to protect the health of our students and limit the spread of swine flu.

(IF appropriate, Explain the local situation and the steps that are being taken.)

Our school (and district) nurses are staying informed and monitoring the situation every day.

If your child exhibits any flu-like symptoms such as cough, fever and upset stomach; contact the school nurse immediately and keep your child home.

Please reinforce with your child these important flu prevention rules. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and wash hands with soap and water and clean with alcohol based disinfectant often during the day.

Let me assure you that the health and well-being of our students is our top priority and we are doing everything possible to address the situation. Please feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Principal

Tell the media what you are doing:
Prepare for media calls by developing key talking points in advance.
Share those talking points with other staff to ensure that your district speaks with one clear voice about swine flu precautions and response protocols.

So far our School District has taken a number of precautionary measures:

•    We have sent One Call Now Parent Broadcast messages informing parents about the emergency, instructions on who to contact, and issued guidelines to help prevent the spread of flu.
•    We posted links to information about swine flu on our web site.
•    We posted helpful tips about swine flu on Cable Channel XX, with an emphasis on good hygiene to prevent infection.
•    We provided principals with facts and steps to prevent outbreaks.
•    Our School District routinely works with the County Health Department to monitor illnesses to look for trends and determine when specific local responses to significant increases in illness are required.

More Talking Points-
Here are sample talking points about the swine flu emergency from Rick Kaufman, APR, executive director of community relations for the Bloomington (Minn.) Public Schools. These could be tailored to your area and used as part of a letter home or One Call Now Parent Broadcast notification message. They could also be used with area media.

April 27, 2009

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 40 cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in five U.S. states. So far, no confirmed or suspected cases have been detected in Minnesota.
Minnesota Department of Health officials are reminding people to observe routine public health recommendations for preventing the spread of the flu:
Keep your child home from school if they are sick, and contact a health physician if the child exhibits flu-like symptoms.
Instruct children to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around your child from getting sick.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
Wash hands frequently to protect against germs. Wash with soap and water, or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner.
Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.
Practice other good health habits. Keep yourself strong – and more resistant to disease – by getting plenty of sleep, staying physically active, managing stress, drinking plenty of fluids and eating nutritious food.

While this current outbreak of swine flu has not reached the level of a “pandemic flu” outbreak, the new virus is causing concern because of the potential it represents. Plan for potential pandemic flu and/or update your current pandemic plan based on emerging information.

In recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that a substantial risk of an influenza pandemic exists. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that in the U.S. alone, an influenza pandemic could infect up to 200 million people and cause between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths. A pandemic outbreak could jeopardize essential community services by causing high levels of absenteeism (up to 35%) in critical positions in every workforce. The best protection against pandemic influenza — a vaccine that is well matched to the virus-causing illness — is not likely to be available at the outset of a pandemic.

During an influenza pandemic, your school district must work with local, state, and federal agencies to:

•    Limit the number of illnesses and deaths
•    Preserve continuity of essential school functions
•    Minimize educational and social disruption
•    Minimize academic and economic losses
•    Schools will be disrupted during a pandemic. Mitigation guidelines issued by the CDC include closing schools to reduce contact between people. It is prudent to plan for school closures that may last from several weeks to up to 3 months.