Columbus Day with Streptococcal? Influenza?

Certainly not one of my usual topics



Since yesterday was Columbus Day, my husband had the day off. We had spectacular plans of which none came to fruition. Thankfully, back in 1492 when Christopher Columbus set sail with Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria he experienced a different outcome!

Our Columbus Day started out very lovely as we spent time in our children’s school attending their open house. We left with smiles on our faces anticipating an afternoon together. Less than ten minutes later my cell phone rang and were heading back to school to get our son. The school nurse just notified us that he had a fever.

He had a cough before school but we thought it was the remnants of a cold. Both a fever and cough are symptoms of the swine flu and of course, the seasonal flu, common cold and probably a dozen other ailments. So what normal, sane mother wouldn’t go from fever and coughing to swine flu?

My son has asthma. Thoughts of recent headline news flashed in my mind: 75 children die of swine flu. Naturally, I contacted our pediatrician and told the nurse I thought he had swine flu. Given his medical condition, they needed to see him immediately. The first thing they did was swab his throat to check for the streptococcal bacteria. Sure enough, he had strep throat! Both my husband and I were relieved. When our vivacious daughter came home from school, we decided to take some precautionary measures and head back to the doctor’s office to have her tested. Sure enough, her results were positive; she too had the streptococcal bacteria. On a positive note, my husband and I did test negative for strep throat.

So if you’re a parent reading this blog. My first advice is to remain calm (unlike me) and obtain information about influenza.

H1N1 and the Seasonal Flu

Influenza (the flu) is a contagious respiratory disease. Scientists predict this flu season will cause more people to get sick than previous seasons. It is important to note that most people who contract H1N1 or the seasonal flu have had mild illness and no need for medical attention. They recover within two weeks. However, certain individuals can experience severe illness.

The following people are at high risk for flu complications:

Children < 5 years old (risk is highest in children < 2)
Adults > 65 year s old
Pregnant women
Individuals with a medical condition (e.g. asthma, diabetes, heart disease)

Symptoms of flu include high fever, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue, runny or stuffy nose, and body aches. Sometimes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can occur - this is more likely to occur with children than adults.

It is believed that the spread of the viruses occurs from person to person through infected individuals coughing or sneezing. People may become infected by touching something with the viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose. Once a person has contracted influenza, they may infect others as soon as the day before symptoms develop and up to 5 days after becoming ill.

Since the spread occurs from sneezing, coughing or unclean hands, we can take some precautionary measures to prevent the spread of germs. Parents should set a good example and encourage your child to do the following things:

Cover coughs and sneezes. If possible use a tissue and discard it immediately. Most times, our children do not have a tissue handy so we taught them to cough into their sleeve (not hands).

Wash hands with soap and water. We told our children to sing the ABC or Happy Birthday song two times. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand cleaner.

Wear a surgical mask to protect others. This seems a little over the top but we did it, at our doctor’s request, when we went for our office visit to prevent the spread to other children.

Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth. If they have an itch, we told our children use the inside of their sleeve.

One must always state the obvious, stay away from sick people.

Antiviral drugs can treat influenza. They need to be prescribed by a doctor and work best when started within two days of contracting the virus. Children can receive these drugs. However, these drugs are reserved for those individuals who are severely ill or at a high risk. An infected individual should get plenty of rest and fluids.

Consult your doctor immediately if the following occurs in children:

Fast or troubled breathing
Bluish skin
Not consuming enough liquids
Extreme fatigue
Intense irritability (e.g. child does not want to be held)
Improvement followed by return fever and horrible cough
Fever coupled with a rash

Consult your doctor immediately if the following occurs in adults:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Chest or abdomen pain or pressure
Sudden dizziness and/or confusion
Severe vomiting

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people to stay home for a minimum of 24 hours after the last fever. It is important to note the fever must be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.

Source: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov

Back to School Parent’s Checklist

Our children are getting acclimated to their new schedules. They are meeting new friends, becoming acquainted with their new teachers and familiar with the school’s behavior standards. While our children adapt to their school and its related components, as parents we should make sure the following items are in place.

Emergency Information

Make sure you submit your child’s student emergency information form to your school. This important information allows you to be contacted promptly if your child is sick or injured.

Child’s Cafeteria Account

While my children bring their lunch most days, they do enjoy the pizza and pancakes on upside down day. Our school has an automated system but that convenience comes at a price so I send in a check. Make sure your check includes your child’s first name, last name, and the appropriate ID number. If you qualify for free and/or reduced-price meals, submit your application. Our school district bases eligibility on family size and income. For additional information, go to your school’s website or call them directly.

School Calendar

Two years ago, I missed Moms and Muffins which ended up being a traumatic event for my son. As a result, I began to enter all activities and events into Microsoft Outlook. At the beginning of the school year, I now obtain the school calendar and enter all pertinent information for the entire school year. You can also use a planner or calendar. At a minimum, have a copy of the school calendar handy and refer to it regularly.

Back-to-School Night

Keep informed about the time your school sets aside for you to meet with teachers. Our initial meeting is tonight which is called back to school night. My husband and I look forward to talking to both of our children’s teachers without them present. Make sure you line up a babysitter or contact a friend or family member.

Flu Vaccinations

Our county offers free voluntary seasonal flu vaccinations (Flu Mist) to all elementary school students beginning on Sept 23 through October 23. I would recommend consulting your physician prior to receiving the Flu Mist. I just learned that after receiving the Flu Mist you must wait 30 days before you can receive another vaccine (e.g. H1N1 vaccine). Make sure you keep informed about your school’s plans in the event of a H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak.

Source: www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org

Summer Homework to Prevent Brain Drain– A New Day

After a good eight hours of sleep, I awoke refreshed and ready to tackle today’s summer homework. Today I incorporated some fun by using sidewalk chalk. My daughter loves to draw so she drew our family and labeled everyone. Thus, she practiced writing her name as well as other names. She currently uses all upper case letters; so I am teaching her to use both upper and lower case letters when writing her name. My son is not so easily entertained by chalk but he likes to play hangman.

Our school sent home a list of wall words for grade one and two. Today I reviewed all the wall words for grade one with my son and then played two games of hangman using only those words. While all of us would prefer to be at the pool, we spent approximately 20 minutes playing together to combat the summer brain drain!

Another powerful tool to fight summer brain drain is to play Er-u-di-tion as it incorporates ninety-eight percent of grade one wall words provided by our school!

Wall Words for Grade One

the	of	a	to	is
you	was	on	are	they
I	have	from	one	word
what	all	were	when	your
said	there	do	their	other
about	many	some	would	look
two	more	could	people	my
water	been	who	find	long
come	only	work	know	year
give	most	very	our	good
great	where	through	right	too
any	want	also	around	put
does	another	large	even	because
here	move	kind	again	change
off	air	away	mother	answer
learn	should	world	high	every
near	school	father	earth	eye
light	thought	head	saw	don’t
along	might	something	always	both
often	night	walk	four	carry