Upper Respiratory Infections

This week approximately 27 pupils have been absent with this problem, which in the majority of cases appears to be causing several days of illness. The typical symptoms are still sore throat and /or cough, abdominal pain (sometimes with vomiting and diarrhoea) and high fever. The illness typically seems to end with muscle aches, sometimes severe.

All of these symptoms are typical of an influenza virus, which is what several doctors have reported it to be although exact testing is not usually performed.

It is important to remember that influenza can be a severe illness lasting up to 2 weeks. Please do not send your children back to school before they are completely better to reduce the possibility of complications and of spreading the virus to others.

As always, hand hygiene is of great importance at this time.

I am wondering if any children who received the flu vaccine this winter have been ill, and if so, how ill. If your child had the vaccine and still got this virus, I would be grateful if you could let me know for information purposes.

Cancer Warning and Plastics

Many people, including me, have received e mails about plastics and cancer, especially using plastic food and water containers and freezing water in plastic bottles. This advice is claimed to come from John Hopkins University in the USA. I was interested to check this out and found that this mail appears to be a hoax and that neither John Hopkins nor FDA do not appear to have made such recommendations. It is a reminder that we should all be cautious about stories sent out by internet and check them on reputable websites. I attach statements from the University and FDA.

- Microwaving Plastic
- Plastics Cancer

First Aid Training

Some parents have asked me to run a first aid session on emergency aid, especially taking into account the new resuscitation guidelines and especially focussing on children. I am therefore planning to offer a two-hour training session next Thursday 29^th March from 17.00 until 19.00 hrs if there is enough interest from parents. If you would like to attend, please inform me by Monday 26^th March. I will then inform you whether the training will go ahead.

Yours sincerely

Glynis Ozcan
School Nurse