Flu Information
Dutchess County
Department of Health
News Release
Date: November 30, 2009
For Further Information
Contact:Michael C. Caldwell, MD, MPH,
Commissioner of Health at 845.486.3432
Dutchess County to Host H1N1 Vaccination Clinic Poughkeepsie . . .
The Dutchess County Department of Health will hold a free H1N1
vaccination clinic on
Saturday, December 5th at John Jay High School from 10am to 4pm by
appointment only in the town of East Fishkill. Vaccinations will be
available to individuals in the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention’s (CDC) recommended priority groups. Appointments can be
made by going online to the county website, www.dutchessny.gov, and
click on the “What to do about the Flu” button. Residents who do not
have access to the Internet can contact the H1N1 Flu Vaccination
Registrar at (845) 486-2226 Monday through Thursday from 9am to 5pm
and Friday 9am to4pm. Registration will close for this clinic at 4pm
on Friday, December 4th or sooner if all available appointments are
filled.
“Getting vaccinated is one of the most important steps individuals can
take to protect themselves,” said Dutchess County Commissioner of
Health Michael C. Caldwell, MD, MPH. “2009 H1N1 flu vaccine has become
more readily available in the past few weeks, with even more vaccine
to become available in the next month. Eventually everyone will be
able to get the vaccination. This Saturday’s clinic is for those
residents in the CDC priority groups who have not yet been able to get
their H1N1 vaccination from their doctor.”
Dutchess County residents who are in one or more of the following CDC-
recommended priority groups are eligible for the H1N1 vaccine at this
FREE clinic:
• Pregnant women
• Persons aged 6 months to 24 years of age
• Persons over age 24 who live with or provide care for infants less
than 6 months of age
• Health-care and emergency medical personnel
• Persons aged 25 to 64 years who have medical conditions that put
them at higher risk for
influenza–related complications, such as: chronic lung (e.g., asthma),
heart (except high blood pressure), kidney, liver, blood, or metabolic
disorders (e.g., diabetes); nerve and muscle system disorders that
affect breathing or that can increase risk for choking (e.g., spinal
cord injuries,seizures); immune-suppressed conditions (from
medications or HIV); or long-term aspirin therapy.
Dutchess County Department of Health
387 Main Street, Poughkeepsie NY 12601 •
(845) 486-3400 • Fax (845) 486-3447 • TTY (845) 486-3417
Michael C. Caldwell, MD, MPH
Commissioner of Health
William R. Steinhaus
County Executive
Individuals with a severe allergy to eggs and/or latex or who have had
Guillain-Barre
Syndrome cannot be vaccinated. Also, individuals with acute febrile
illness (fever) cannot be
vaccinated.
Dr. Caldwell reminds all residents to take everyday steps that can
help prevent the spread of
germs that cause respiratory illnesses like the flu including:
• Cough or sneeze into a tissue or the crook of your elbow, not your
hands.
Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use an alcohol-based hand
sanitizer if you’re not near a sink.
• Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth. Flu spreads
that way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Stay home when you are sick, and do not return to school or work until
you have been fever free without medication for at least 24 hours.
The Dutchess County Department of Health will announce additional 2009
H1N1 vaccination
clinics in December pending availability of the vaccine.
As district posts information about the flu links will be shown here. Please
encourage your student to wash their hands frequently and please stay home if
they are ill.
To get information about the H1N1 flu.
District H1N1 Parent Letter from 9/3/09.
District letter from 9/3/09
CDC latest information on the flu.
CDC information
October 7, 2009
Dear Parents/Guardians:
The purpose of this letter is to keep you informed regarding the potential
H1N1 influenza health challenge the entire nation may be facing. Although we
previously posted a letter on our website about this, I want to continue to
emphasize the importance of remaining focused on this issue.
Our district has received much information from the Dutchess County Department
of Health and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Our nurses have the
necessary procedures in place to address this issue. We shall make every
effort to respond to changing circumstances and to call upon experts to assist
us as needed. Please note the following:
1.
Students and staff will be strongly encouraged to stay home when sick.
According to the CDC, those with flu like symptoms should stay home for at
least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without
the use of fever reducing medicines. They should stay home even if they are
using antiviral drugs. Any children who are determined to be sick while at
school will be sent home.
2.
Our desire to communicate quickly with parents reinforces the need for
emergency information to be kept updated.
3.
We will make every effort to separate students and staff identified as
symptomatic from others. If necessary, this might involve a separate section
of a room that will be set-off as much as possible. The CDC recommends that
they wear a surgical mask while waiting to go home, if possible. The district
has supplied each nurse’s office with masks.
4.
All school bathrooms will be checked to ensure an ample supply of hand soap
and water. We have also provided hand sanitizers in numerous locations in each
school and we are in the process of expanding those locations. We will
encourage hand washing in classrooms as much as possible using soap and water,
if available, and the use of hand sanitizers under adult supervision.
5.
Our facilities department will check water fountains to ensure they are
working properly and if not, they will be shut down for repairs. You may send
your child to school with bottled water. Please check the student handbook for
guidelines regarding bottled beverages in your child’s school as each level’s
guidelines differ.
6.
All schools will practice routine and non-routine cleaning of classrooms and
common areas. School staff will routinely clean areas that students and staff
touch often with appropriate cleaners. Our transportation department also
cleans the regularly-touched
2
surfaces on the buses. Both departments use a product that is safe for the
environment and also destroys a broad range of germs and viruses including
H1N1 or swine flu.
7.
All schools will reinforce the importance of respiratory etiquette. Students
will be reminded to cover noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or
sneezing.
8.
We ask that you know the signs and symptoms of the flu. They are: fever (100
degrees Fahrenheit); cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches,
headache and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit and/or have diarrhea.
In summary, we will continue to collect information from all health agencies
and disseminate it to the school community as it becomes available to us.
Please check our website periodically for any new information.
Just as we will confer with health experts, we encourage families to do so as
well. For more information about the flu, visit www.flu.gov or call
1-800-CDC-INFO. All health decisions regarding your children should be made in
consultation with your family physician.
Sincerely,
James Parla
Superintendent of Schools
H1N1 Flu Letter for October 2009