Message from Dr Steinhauer on H1N1

I think this is important to share.

October 1, 2009

Dear Mt. Lebanon School District Parents and Guardians:

This letter is to inform you that our first case of the H1N1 influenza virus has been confirmed in the High School. We are working in consultation with the Allegheny County Health Department to manage this flu season with the least disruption for our students and staff while maintaining a healthy school environment. We will continue to monitor the situation, and at this time, schools will remain open and operating normally.

Please continue to follow the guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control by keeping your child home from school if he or she shows any flu symptoms including fever (100 degrees and above) severe cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, diarrhea, and/or vomiting. Students who come to school with flu symptoms will be evaluated by our nursing staff, and in some cases, you may be called to pick your child up from school. Students with the flu should stay home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines.

Children experiencing flu symptoms who have chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart problems or who have immune systems that are compromised or suppressed should contact their family doctor for advice. These conditions can result in more severe illness from influenza, including the new H1N1 virus.

The best way to reduce the spread of H1N1 or any other virus is to maintain good hygiene practices. I encourage you to teach your children to wash their hands often, keep their hands away from their eyes, nose, and mouth, and cover coughs and sneezes with their sleeve or a tissue. I have directed our staff to reinforce these skills with all of our students. For more prevention tips, see the back of this letter.

To learn more about the precautions our schools are taking, visit http://www.mtlsd.org/healthservices. For more information about H1N1 and seasonal flu viruses, visit http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us and http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu.

Let me assure you that the health and well being of our students is our top priority. We will inform you of any changes to our District’s strategy to prevent or reduce the spread of the flu via email or phone alerts. To receive Mt. Lebanon School District emails, please make sure you register your email address on the Dashboard.

Please contact your school nurse or family health care provider if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Dr. Timothy Steinhauer
Superintendent