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There have been two health stories at the local & national news letter. One is regarding whooping cough and the other about the swine flu. Please see the following for recommendations on how to protect yourself and decrease the spread of these two conditions.
Whooping Cough (also known as Pertussis):
The current recommendation is for people between the ages of 18 and 59 to speak to their health care provider about getting a Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, attenuated Pertussis) vaccine if it has been longer than 2 years since their last Tetanus shot.
All adults (and/or family members) that are around newborn infants should speak to their health care provider about getting the vaccine. Newborn infants do not have strong immune systems and as a result can get very ill quickly. This is also true for the elderly and other persons w/ medical conditions such as asthma. In these patient populations, pertussis can be fatal. (Pertussis can be fatal in all patient populations but again, the very young, old and those persons w/ pre-existing conditions are at the highest risk).
Pertussis is a serious disease and is best treated by taking precautionary measures to decrease the likelihood of contacting the disease. Experts predict that we will continue to have whooping cough in our community and that it will continue to cause illness.
Swine Flu:
Media information on Swine Flu in the US reports symptoms similar to other Respiratory Influenza. Symptoms include the following:
* Cough and other respiratory symptoms
* Body aches
* Fever
* Sore throat
* Vomiting
* Diarrhea
* Sudden episode of dizziness
Precautionary measures that can decrease the likelihood of contacting the disease are the following:
* Wash Hands with soap and water ( if water is not available alcohol based hand sanitizer) Please note that hand sanitizer is not as effective as soap and water on viral illness
* Avoid touching your face ( mouth, eyes and nose with your hand)
* Sneeze and cough in your elbow
* Maintain five foot distancing when around someone with respiratory illness
* Individuals with significant respiratory illness are encouraged to stay home.
The situation is being monitored and information received by health services, will be immediately made available to you. You can also check the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) web site for more information. Their site is: www.cdc.gov/flu/swine
Please let me know if you have any questions about whooping cough or the swine flu.
Best regards,
Catherine S. Heck, RN
School Nurse ~ Omaha Public Schools
Beals Elementary / Rose Hill Elementary / Wilson Middle Schools
phone: 402.554.8570 (Beals) / 402.554.6797 (Rose Hill) / 402.733.1785 (Wilson)
e-mail: catherine.heck@ops.org
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
There have been two health stories at the local & national news letter. One is regarding whooping cough and the other about the swine flu. Please see the following for recommendations on how to protect yourself and decrease the spread of these two conditions.
Whooping Cough (also known as Pertussis):
The current recommendation is for people between the ages of 18 and 59 to speak to their health care provider about getting a Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, attenuated Pertussis) vaccine if it has been longer than 2 years since their last Tetanus shot.
All adults (and/or family members) that are around newborn infants should speak to their health care provider about getting the vaccine. Newborn infants do not have strong immune systems and as a result can get very ill quickly. This is also true for the elderly and other persons w/ medical conditions such as asthma. In these patient populations, pertussis can be fatal. (Pertussis can be fatal in all patient populations but again, the very young, old and those persons w/ pre-existing conditions are at the highest risk).
Pertussis is a serious disease and is best treated by taking precautionary measures to decrease the likelihood of contacting the disease. Experts predict that we will continue to have whooping cough in our community and that it will continue to cause illness.
Swine Flu:
Media information on Swine Flu in the US reports symptoms similar to other Respiratory Influenza. Symptoms include the following:
* Cough and other respiratory symptoms
* Body aches
* Fever
* Sore throat
* Vomiting
* Diarrhea
* Sudden episode of dizziness
Precautionary measures that can decrease the likelihood of contacting the disease are the following:
* Wash Hands with soap and water ( if water is not available alcohol based hand sanitizer) Please note that hand sanitizer is not as effective as soap and water on viral illness
* Avoid touching your face ( mouth, eyes and nose with your hand)
* Sneeze and cough in your elbow
* Maintain five foot distancing when around someone with respiratory illness
* Individuals with significant respiratory illness are encouraged to stay home.
The situation is being monitored and information received by health services, will be immediately made available to you. You can also check the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) web site for more information. Their site is: www.cdc.gov/flu/swine
Please let me know if you have any questions about whooping cough or the swine flu.
Best regards,
Catherine S. Heck, RN
School Nurse ~ Omaha Public Schools
Beals Elementary / Rose Hill Elementary / Wilson Middle Schools
phone: 402.554.8570 (Beals) / 402.554.6797 (Rose Hill) / 402.733.1785 (Wilson)
e-mail: catherine.heck@ops.org