Welcome Back Students!

Some things I always like to remind parents and students:

No medication can be on campus unless there is a form with a doctor's and parent's signature on file.

No medication can be carried by students except inhalers, but paper work must be completed first.

Students who are sick or injured must come to the office to call home. Students must have a special to leave school

Please remind your student(s) not to share, food, drinks, lipstick or balm, or anything else in which saliva might be exchanged. This helps to limit exposure to seasonal conditions like the flu and colds. Washing hands frequently, especially before eating, can help your household to remain flu free. If your student(s) have upper respiratory congestion please send them with their own supply of tissues. Dayle Edgerton 782-3753 ext 3065 dedgerton@rjuhsd.us

Roseville Joint Union High School District

1750 Cirby Way Roseville, CA 95661 Phone: 916-782-8882 Fax: 916-786-2681

Monday, April 27, 2009 Topic: Swine Flu Information What is Swine Flu? Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do occur. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people. There are no known cases of Swine Influenza in our school district. Situation update: Twenty (20) human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have now been confirmed in the United States in five States, including 7 in southern California. A number of probable cases are pending lab confirmation, including one in Sacramento County. Mexico has reported over 1300 related illnesses over the last month, at least 20 of which have been lab confirmed to be the same strain as in the U.S., and several other countries around the world are now reporting likely cases. The reported pattern of illness in Mexico is different (more severe) than in the United States, which may be an as yet undetermined difference or could simply be because the United States is earlier in the course of the outbreak. Current information and guidelines can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ . Other information: Further updates will be provided as needed. Please encourage and empower all students and staff to take a proactive role in protecting their health and preventing the spread of disease by following these basic individual measures:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people. • If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit

contact with others to keep from infecting them. • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Questions should be directed to your school site nurse or the District Office at 782-6565 x1057.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jack Duran

Garry Genzlinger Scott E. Huber R. Jan Pinney

Paige K. Stauss

TONY MONETTI, SUPERINTENDENT

A Parent’s Guide to MRSA in California

What You Need To Know

If soap and running water is not available and hands do not have visible dirt on them, staph germs can be killed by using an alcohol-based hand rub.

When should hands be washed?Whenever the skin comes into contact with other people or with shared surfaces or equipment;Before and after athletic practice, games, or working out;After sneezing, coughing, blowing or touching the nose;Before and after touching the eyes, nose, or mouth, or skin that has open sores, boils and skin rashes;After using the toilet or urinal;After touching any item soiled with wound fluids, such as bandages, dressings or bedding;After cleaning the bathroom, changing your bedding, or doing laundry; andBefore preparing food, eating, or drinking.

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What else can be done to help prevent MRSA and staph infections?

Bathe regularly,Take good care of the skin; avoid skin damage, clean damaged skin promptly with soap and water,Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed. Pus from infected wounds can contain staph and MRSA.Don’t share personal items such as towels, clothing, or other items that touch skin, and use a barrier (e.g., clothing or a towel) between your skin and shared equipment such as weight-training benches.Wash soiled clothes, sheets, and towels with water and laundry detergent and dry completely in a hot dryer.

For more information about MRSA and staph infections, contact your doctor, local health department or school nurse.

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References:California Department of Public Health, MRSA for Athletes: What You Need to Know, http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/discond/Documents/CAMRSAForAthletes.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Questions and Answers about Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Schools, http://www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSAinSchools/

California Department of Public HealthDivision of Communicable Disease ControlInfectious Diseases Branchwww.cdph.ca.gov

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor

Kimberly Belshé, Secretary Health and Human Services Agency

Mark B Horton, MD, MSPH, DirectorCalifornia Department of Public Health

What is Staphylococcus aureus?Staphylococcus aureus (staph) are bacteria that many healthy people carry on their skin or in their nose. About 25% to 30% of people in the United States carry staph in their nose, but it does not make them sick. Staph can also be carried in the armpit, groin, rectum or genital area. Most staph infections are minor and can be treated without antibiotics. However, staph can sometimes cause serious infections like pneumonia, blood or joint infections, and deep skin infections.

What is MRSA?Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of staph that is not killed by penicillin and similar antibiotics. About 1 out of every 100 people carries MRSA without making them sick. In California over half of all the staph infections are caused by MRSA. MRSA infections do not look any different than those caused by ordinary staph.

What do staph and MRSA infections look like?Common skin conditions caused by staph and MRSA may look like any of the following:

Sores that look and feel like spider bites (but are not spider bites);Red painful bumps under the skin, called boils or abscesses;A cut that is swollen, hot, and filled with pus;Blisters filled with fluid or red skin with a honey-colored crust (usually on the face); orRed, warm, firm skin area that is painful and getting larger (usually on the legs).

How does a person get staph or MRSA?Staph and MRSA can be spread when a person:

has direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected person,touch surfaces that have staph on them from someone else’s infection (e.g., towels, athletic equipment, used bandages).

Staph is not usually passed through the air.

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How are staph and MRSA infections treated? Some staph skin infections are treated by draining the sores and may not require antibiotics. Draining these sores should be done by a doctor. If the doctor gives you antibiotics, make sure you take all of the medicine, even if the infection is getting better. Do not share your medicine with anyone else or save it to use at another time.Call you doctor back if the infection does not get better after a few days. If other people you know or live with get the same infection tell them to go to their doctor.

Is it possible to have another staph or MRSA skin infection after it is cured? Yes. It is possible to have another staph or MRSA skin infection after it is treated. To keep this from happening, follow the doctor’s orders while you have the infection, and follow the prevention steps in this pamphlet.

What should I do if I think my child has MRSA?If you think your child has MRSA, call a doctor. Do not ignore the sore and hope it will go away.

Can a child with an MRSA infection go to school?Unless the doctor advises not to attend school, children should be allowed to attend school as long as their infection is not draining and can be covered by a dry dressing.

If the child is involved in a physical activity or sport that involves skin-to-skin contact with other students, return to those activities should be approved by a school official or doctor.

Do schools need to be closed and disinfected if a student has an MRSA infection?No, it is not necessary to close schools to “disinfect” them because of MRSA infections. MRSA is spread mostly by direct skin to skin contact with an infected person or from touching surfaces that have staph on them from someone else’s infection. If the student’s infections have been covered, then no special cleaning is needed. Cleaning and disinfection should be done on surfaces that are likely to contact uncovered or poorly covered infections.

What is the easiest way to prevent MRSA and staph infections?Hand washing is the easiest way to prevent MRSA and staph infections.