Facts about Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) is now popping up in the community. Below are some helpful facts about Pertussis. The Vermont Department of Health has more information about Pertussis. 

What is whooping cough? Whooping cough is a highly contagious illness caused by bacteria. It mainly affects the respiratory system (the organs that help you breathe). 

Are whooping cough and pertussis the same thing? Whooping cough is the common name for pertussis. 

Who can get whooping cough? People of all ages can get whooping cough. 

How serious is whooping cough? Whooping cough can be very serious, especially for babies and young kids. Whooping cough can cause pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, and death. Less serious illness can occur in older children and in those who have been vaccinated. 

What are the symptoms of whooping cough? Children and others with whooping cough can have severe coughing spells that make it hard to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. Sometimes they cough and then gag or make a “whooping” sound when breathing in. This sound is how the disease got its name. Babies younger than 6 months may or may not cough. Instead, they may have gagging or life-threatening pauses in breathing or struggle to breathe. Some babies may turn blue because they don’t get enough oxygen and can’t catch their breath. Older kids and adults may just have a bad cough that lasts for multiple weeks, 

How soon do symptoms appear? Symptoms usually start 5 to 21 days (average 7 to 10 days) after being around someone with whooping cough. 

How does whooping cough spread? You can get whooping cough from breathing in pertussis bacteria. This germ comes out of the mouth and nose when someone who has whooping cough sneezes or coughs. 

How is whooping cough treated? Whooping cough is generally treated with antibiotics (a medicine to kill germs in the body). It’s important to start taking the medicine as soon as possible to slow the spread of the disease. Early treatment may also make the symptoms less severe. 

How is whooping cough prevented? Getting vaccinated is the best way to stop the spread of whooping cough. Using good health manners also helps slow the spread of whooping cough—wash your hands, cover your cough, and stay home when you’re sick. 

Are some people at higher risk from whooping cough? It is most dangerous for babies under the age of six months. Pregnant women and people who spend a lot of time with babies need to be vaccinated so they can help to protect these babies. Some people with other health conditions can also get dangerously sick from whooping cough. 

What if I was exposed to someone who has whooping cough? It depends what kind of exposure. Call your health care provider to ask whether or not you should take medicine that can prevent you from getting whooping cough. 

What should I do if I have a cough? If you have symptoms, such as a cough and fever, stay away from babies, pregnant women and people who are at higher risk for getting whooping cough until you have been seen by a health care provider. 

What should I do if I think someone in my family has whooping cough? If you think you or one of your family members has whooping cough, call your health care provider. Try to stay away from other people until the illness is evaluated. Whooping cough is a possibility if someone has a bad cough, especially if it lasts longer than two weeks, or if the coughing happens in spells followed by gagging or difficulty catching the breath.

Still plenty of time to get a Flu Shot!

What better time to remind you about flu shots than National Influenza Vaccination Week!? If your child hasn't received their vaccine yet, now's a great time to get it done. Any child over 6 months of age should get a flu vaccine.  Visit the CDC website for more information about the Flu Vaccine. 

New Media Guidelines by American Academy of Pediatrics

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released new guidelines for the use of media by adolescents. They have also created a great online tool to help families set up their own Media Use Plan to help determine the right balance of media and other healthy activities for each child. 

The AAP stresses that the guidelines are not a 'one size fits all' approach, and recommends that parents and caregivers develop a family media plan that takes into account the health, education and entertainment needs of each child as well as the whole family.

For school-aged children and adolescents, the idea is to balance media use with other healthy behaviors such as healthy meals, exercise, sleep, and family time. 

The Guidelines Statement can be read here: American Academy of Pediatrics Publications

Create your own Family Media Use Plan at: www.healthychildren.org/MediaUsePlan

Puberty Lessons October 24-28

Next week, 4th grade girls and all 5th graders will be participating in a puberty lesson as part of their PE classes. (4th grade boys will only be watching a video and discussing personal hygiene).

Topics for the 4th grade girls are female changes during puberty, basic anatomy, menstruation, emotional changes, and hygiene/personal care.

5th grade students learn about both male and female changes during puberty, basic anatomy, menstruation, hygiene/personal care, and emotional changes. They watch the same video, but we do separate boys and girls to watch the video. The 5th graders have a follow up class later in the week to have further discussion and ask questions.

 If you would like to preview the video and the information that is covered, please join us Tuesday, October 18 for a parent preview night.  We will be meeting in the library.

                                                   10/18  5:30pm: 4th Grade Girls 

                                   10/18  6:30pm: 5th Grade Girls and Boys

Tick Information

Fall is a wonderful time to be outside in Vermont. It's also a time when Ticks are more prevalent. The Vermont Department of Health has a large amount of information about ticks and tickborne illness including prevention, tick identification, and removal tips. 

Want more info? Vermont Department of Health Tick Information

Head Lice

No parent wants to hear those dreaded words:  Head Lice     

Unfortunately, head lice are an inevitable part of childhood and will make their way into the school and classroom. I have seen several cases of head lice since school started. My procedure when head lice is found is to notify the parent by phone, I send home written information about how to treat head lice, and I send a letter to the classroom notifying other parents that head lice was found in their child's class. This allows other families to check for lice and lets us know if the lice have had a chance to spread. I do not do entire classroom head checks unless there have been several cases found in a class.

Please let me know if you have found and treated head lice on your child. I always keep student information private and confidential. I have the most up-to-date information on how to best treat for head lice and can help dispel any myths around it.

What should you teach your child to help prevent getting lice?

1. Avoid head-to-head contact! This is the primary way that head lice are spread. Be especially aware of sleepovers as this is a common way that lice are spread. 
2. Keep long hair pulled back in a ponytail or braid
3. Don't share hats, combs, hair brushes, or hair ties
4. Keep your personal belongings (sweatshirts, hats, etc) in your backpack at school

Oh crumb, my kid got head lice anyway. Now what!? 

Here are my top 5 tips for treating head lice!

1. Shampoo with an over the counter Lice Shampoo such as Nix or Rid. Follow the directions carefully! 

2. Check everyone in the house. 

3. Clean the environment. (Wash bedding, vaccuum, bag things that can't be washed) 

4. Comb, Comb, Comb. Daily combs with a metal lice comb. This can be tedious, but families who comb daily until no live lice or nits have been seen for 2 weeks are the most successful at treating lice. 

5. Retreat with the Lice Shampoo 10 days after the first treatment. This second treatment is VERY important as it will kill any lice that have hatched after the first treatment before they have a chance to lay more eggs. 

Want more information?

Click here for recommendations by the CDC on how to treat head lice

Please don't hesitate to call or email me if you have any questions about head lice!

Fall Illnesses

It's that time of year....

Unfortunately, back-to-school and illness always go hand in hand. Malletts Bay is starting to see an increase in viral illnesses. Mostly pesky colds with the typical sore throat, runny nose, and cough. 

So, this is a good time to remind families when to keep kids home from school!

Please keep your child home from school if they have: 

1. A fever.  I usually consider a fever anything over 100.5. Students need to be fever free for 24 hours WITHOUT the use of fever reducing medication (such as Tylenol or Advil). If your student goes home with a fever, they will need to stay home the next day as well. 

2. Vomiting or diarrhea.  Students can return after they have been 24 hours without vomiting or diarrhea. 

3. Unknown Rashes.Since unknown rashes can often indicate a communicable disease (ie-it's contagious!!) please keep  your child home for any unknown rashes until they are cleared by their doctor. 

And of course if your child feels miserable, it's ok to keep them home even if they don't have a fever. It's hard to concentrate on school work with a constant cough, severe sore throat,  or non-stop runny nose! 

Thanks for helping to keep our teachers, staff and other students healthy!!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back Ospreys!  

I hope you had a fun and healthy summer! I'm so excited for the start of the school year and can't wait to see all of our new and returning students!

Here's a few reminders from the health office:                    

Health Forms:
You probably have seen that school forms are online this year! This includes the yearly health update form that we normally send out every summer (that blue form). This is the form that will update me on any health changes or concerns and also gives me permission to give over the counter medications at school. Please complete this form as soon as possible.

Please let me know if you did not receive a link via email to complete this online form. 

There was an omission of 2 important questions that are normally on this form: permission to treat your student for medical emergencies and permission to contact your child's pediatrician (after parental approval). I will be sending a hard copy home for parent signature. Please sign and return this form to school with your child.

Allergies at MBS:
I will be sending home classroom letters on the first day of school to classes that will be Allergy Aware. At MBS we take allergies very seriously and focus on having "Allergy Aware" classrooms which will focus on hand-washing, not sharing snacks, and in some classrooms having allergy safe tables. Any shared snacks for special occasions MUST be pre-approved by the nurse. Please let me know if you have any questions about allergies in your child's classroom.


Medications:
 If your child takes medication at school (including inhalers or epi-pens for allergies) I will need an updated physician order for the medications. All medications need to be brought to school by a parent, and need to be in the original packaging with a pharmacy label.


Extra Clothing:
I have very limited 'extra' clothing in the health office. Please consider sending an extra set in your child's backpack if you think this might be needed. If I do loan your student clothing during the school year, kindly wash and return.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns! I'm reached most easily by email at josie.lang@colchestersd.org. You can also call the health office at 264-5904.

Josie Lang, RN
MBS School Nurse