Q: When should an infected child (or adult) be allowed to return to school?

that child should be sent home and advised to stay

home for seven days or 24 hours after symptoms subside if longer than seven days.

Q: We have a school trip to Mexico planned, and students and their families are planning

to travel to Mexico once school lets out for the summer. Should we cancel?

A: The CDC advises Americans to postpone and avoid all non-essential travel to Mexico until

further notice. More information: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSwineFluMexico.aspx.

Q: For schools in areas where migrant or seasonal workers are employed, are there

additional precautions that should be taken, particularly if those workers are from Mexico?

A: It’s important to remember—and to remind students, parents, and staff—that by their very

nature, viruses are indiscriminate and equal opportunity. No one has immunity to this particular

strain of influenza, so everyone is equally at risk of getting sick. Isolating, blaming, discriminating

against or otherwise singling out individuals or sub-groups of a school’s population is not helpful;

using common sense to prevent flu and monitoring for any symptoms is. School leaders should

be vigilant about preventing bullying and harassment in schools. Additional information on

bullying prevention can be found at: http://www.stopbullyingnow.org.

At any school, with any population, school health officials should assess risk and take action

appropriately. Schools should continue to maintain clean environments and encourage common-

sense preventive measures: wash hands, cover mouths when coughing, and avoid close contact.

School closure should be strongly considered where there is a confirmed case of H1N1 flu and

may be considered when there is an outbreak in the community

ISOLATING CONFIRMED FLU CASES

Q: When should an infected child (or adult) be allowed to return to school?

A: Students may come back to school after seven days or, if symptoms persist after seven days,

they should stay home for 24 hours after symptoms have been gone.

Q: Should special attention be made to cleaning our schools, in light of this outbreak?

A: School leaders should always uphold a high standard of cleanliness in their school buildings.

Schools should continue to clean frequently touched surfaces, such as desks, doorknobs, or

pencil sharpeners or, for younger children, toys or classroom manipulatives. Schools can use

standard products according to directions on the product label. It is not necessary to do extensive

cleaning of surfaces where it is not likely that children have touched, such as walls or the insides

of lockers, since it is not likely that children will spread germs from these surfaces.

Information about products shown to kill influenza A viruses can be found at:

http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/influenza-disinfectants.html.

Schools and parents should continue to promote careful hand- washing and covering one’s

mouth when coughing or sneezing.

Q: Should we hand out masks at school in the future?

A: If someone is coughing and sneezing and is suspected of being infected with H1N1 mask use

should be considered. But masks don’t entirely prevent the spread of viruses, particularly if they

are not fitted to the person wearing it. Students and staff with flu-like symptoms or confirmed

cases of the flu should isolate themselves at home, not put on a mask and continue to come to

school.

School nurses or those caring for sick students may want to consider wearing OSHA-approved

masks (also known as “respirators”). Guidance for health care workers can be found at:

http://www.pandemicflu.gov.