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HealthBeat
By JLeamy,VFalconi-Young, PGreenberg, School Nurses
Volume 14, Issue 1 October 17, 2013
Some “Itchy” Info
Pertussis
Lice is spread by direct contact especially by sharing
items such as hats, combs/ brushes/ hair accessories,
coats or other personal items. Please talk with your
child and review not to share these things with others.
If your child complains of an itchy head or evidence of
dandruff-like areas on the hair that do not flake off,
check your child to see if they have lice and let the
school know if they do; then check all family members.
Early identification and prevention are the keys to
keeping lice under control. Lice are the size of a
sesame seed, usually oval shaped and brown, gray or
tan looking and crawl (not fly or jump). To find the eggs
/nits, look for small white or yellowish-brown specks
that are about the size of a poppy seed. Eggs/nits are
found on the hair shaft close to the scalp. Older
students are not immune so check them also.
Summer and Fall are prime time for incidences of
pertussis (whooping cough). This has been on the
rise over the last few years and we have seen a
few cases here in Loveland. Here are a few facts
about pertussis:
• It is a highly contagious respiratory illness that
spreads by direct contact with the discharge
from the nose or throat of infected persons
• Symptoms initially are similar to the common
cold for a week followed by several weeks of
a cough that worsens and is characterized by
a high pitch sounding “whoop”. It is worse at
night. This can last for several months without
proper treatment. Early identification and
treatment with antibiotics is important.
• Students are excluded from school until after
5 full days of treatment. The incubation period
is 7-10 days with a range of 4-21 days.
• Immunization is the most effective and
important tool for prevention for you and
others. Make sure your child is fully
immunized. If your child has a cough that
worsens at night or has a whooping sound,
bring him/ her to their doctor .
• For further information, check out the CDC
website at : www.cdc.gov
Tidbits of Information…
Did you know…
• That a “Permission to Dispense” form is necessary
for any over the counter and/ or prescription
medications at school. This form can be found on
our website under the forms section. Both parent
and physician need to fill out their parts.
• Attention parents of students whose child requires
an Epi-Pen at school (especially food allergies and
bee sting allergies). Please, please make sure to
bring one in so we have one here at school so if a
problem occurs, we can manage it quickly!
• We have many students in Loveland with food
allergies to many different kinds of food. Please
remember this when sending any foods into school
for birthdays and/ or parties. Better yet, please
consider non-edible items that students love just as
well!
• Research shows that proper rest along with good
nutrition are the number one things that make a
student successful in school. Have your child put
away their electronic devices (this includes TV) at
least one hour (2 is best) before bed, include a
protein source for breakfast and drinks lots of water!
Flu Season
It’s that time of year- flu season is from October
through March. Here are few tips to improve your
odds of having a healthy season:
• Get a flu vaccine for you and your child
especially if your child has a chronic illness.
• Model and teach your child good cough
etiquette and proper handwashing- avoid the
T-zone (think the area vertically and
horizontally around the nose)
• Load up on fruits, veggies and other good
sources of nutrition- it will strengthen their
immune system!
• Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep!