Mrs. Egan, Principal

We have been informed by the Chester County Health Department
that a student has been diagnosed with Pertussis (whooping cough).
Your child may have been exposed between 4/4/12 and 4/16/12.
The average incubation period for Pertussis is 9-10 days, but ranges
from 6-20 days. Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is
spread through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs.
Pertussis begins with cold symptoms and a cough that becomes
much worse over 1-2 weeks. Symptoms usually include a long series
of coughs ("coughing fits") followed by a whooping noise. However,
older children, adults, and very young infants may not develop the whoop.
There is generally no fever. People with Pertussis may have a series of
coughs followed by vomiting, turning blue, or difficulty catching their breath.
The cough is often worse at night and cough medicines usually do not
alleviate the cough. The disease can be very severe and, although deaths
are rare, they do occur, especially in infants less than one year
of age.
Immunizations provide a high degree of protection for children
and adults. Children should receive (5) doses of DTaP vaccine
before they start school. A booster is given after age 11. Adults
should receive a Pertussis booster. Promptly consult your
physician if you or your child are not fully immunized.

At this time, one case of Pertussis has been identified at our school.
When 2 or more cases are epidemiologically linked at one
location, it is considered to be an "outbreak". It is important
to note that when an outbreak occurs, students, faculty, and staff who
are not immunized up to date with Pertussis immunizations will not be
allowed to attend school.
The DTaP and Tdap vaccines are available at the Chester County
Health Department Clinic. Vaccines are provided free of
charge for children under the age of 18. Clinic hours are Tuesday
from 9 to 4, Wednesday from 11 to 6, and Friday from 9 to 4. It is
essential that you bring a copy of your child's immunization records.
The Tdap is still available free of charge for adults.
Please consult your physician if you have any questions regarding
your child's immunization status, need for preventative treatment,
or if your child develops any symptoms of Pertussis.

Dear Parents,

The WCASD nurses are not able to give over the counter medicine sent in by a parent, unless there is a doctor's written order giving them the direction to do so. There ARE ONLY FOUR EXCEPTIONS: Tylenol, Advil, Benadryl, and antacids.

The WCASD nurses already have orders from the district doctor to give those four. All other medications coming in to school will need an accompanying doctor's order and parent note. Your doctor may write one note for your child to be given a particular medicine as needed, by the school nurse, for the full year.

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Welcome back to Mrs. Pam Dutil, our Monday, Tuesday nurse, Mrs. Kempinski, our Wednesday nurse and Mrs. Kate Yokum, our Thursday and Friday nurse.

Know the Difference between Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms

Symptom	Cold	H1N1 Flu
Fever	Fever is rare with a cold.	Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.
Coughing	A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.	A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
Aches	Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.	Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.
Stuffy Nose	Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.	Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.
Chills	Chills are uncommon with a cold.	60% of people who have the flu experience chills.
Tiredness	Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.	Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.
Sneezing	Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.	Sneezing is not common with the flu.
Sudden Symptoms	Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.	The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.
Headache	A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.	A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.
Sore Throat	Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.	Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.
Chest Discomfort	Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.	Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

The only way to stop the spread of the epidemic is to spread the awareness.

Wash hands often

Get enough sleep

Eat properly

Drink lots of water

JUST A REMINDER PARENTS:

Don't wait.....Vaccinate now!

For attendance in all grades in 2011/2012 children need

4 doses of tetanus* (1 dose on or after the 4th birthday)
4 doses of diphtheria* (1 dose on or after the 4th birthday)
3 doses of polio
2 doses of measles**
2 doses of mumps**
1 dose of rubella (German Measles)**
3 doses of hepatitis B
2 doses of varicella (chicken pox) vaccine or history of disease

*Usually given as DPT or DTaP or DT or TD
**Usually given as MMR

Children attending 7th grade in 2011/2012 need the following:

1 dose of tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap) (if 5 years has elapsed since last tetanus immunization)
1 dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV)

Some tips from Mrs. Leimbach:

Shop for the necessities for sickness while you're well. Soup, crackers, ginger ale, tissues, over the counter cold/flu remedies are some examples.
Working parents should have a plan in place if your child is sick: who takes off, babysitter, etc.
Get the regular flu shots for your family. Get the H1N1 when it is available.
Sick children stay home--no outside activities--until they are well again.
Keep everyone away from the sick person.

The West Chester School District provides a school nurse 4 of the 5 days of the week for the students of SSPP. Our school follows all state regulations and recommendations given by the WCASD.

The following is a letter that was sent home to all the parents of the children in the WCASD from Dr. James Scanlan, Superintendent of Schools:

Dear Parents/ Guardian,

As you probably know the novel H1N1 Influenza Virus has been consistently in the news this summer. This strain of influenza spreads rapidly, particularly among school age students. We want to assure you that we are taking steps at West Chester Area School District to reduce your child’s exposure to all influenza diseases.

We are partnering with the Chester County Department of Health, PA. Dept. of Education and our consulting physician, to determine our response. Together, with your help, we will do our best to protect our students and the larger community.

Here are a few things that you can do to help:

· RECOGNIZE FLU SYMPTOMS (see below) and KEEP SICK STUDENTS HOME. We encourage you to plan child care arrangements for this possibility in advance. This isolation will be critical for everyone’s health.

· Teach your child(ren) to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol based rub.

· Teach your child(ren) not to share food or personal items like utensils.

· Teach your child(ren) to cover their coughs and sneezes in their sleeve (1^st choice), OR a tissue (washing hands after).

SYMPTOMS of this influenza include: fever of 100 degrees or higher, cough, sore throat, and body ache. You should keep your child home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, without any fever reducing drugs, or 7 days, whichever is longer. Students will be excluded from school, to their parent’s care if these symptoms occur at school. Assignments will be made available for students who are able to work at home.

For more information concerning the H1N1, consult www.flu.gov

Mrs. Egan, Principal

Medical Alerts

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