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H1N1/Swine Flu

Information for Schools

The Salt Lake Valley Health Department is committed to working closely with schools to help manage and prevent widespread illness and disruption as we move into the traditional flu season.

The following resources are provided as tools to help schools prepare for the fall and to help educate students and parents.

Educational Posters

Available at our H1N1 Toolkit.

Our recommendations:

Fact Sheets

Brochures

A series of educational posters have been created by printing company Channing Bete and are available for purchase.

  • Your Child, School and H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) - Information for Parents
  •  H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) - Staying Informed and Being Prepared
  • Seasonal and Pandemic Flu - What You Need to Know
  • Pandemic Flu and Hygiene - A Key to Slowing Its Spread

Samples of these brochures are available at the Channing Bete website. If you are interested in ordering, call Madeleine at 1 (800) 611-6085.

Videos

The Salt Lake Valley Health Department has secured the distributing rights to the following videos and encourages schools to utilize them in the classroom to promote respiratory etiquette and other methods to prevent the spread of influenza.

All Ages

Young Children

Older Students

Lesson Plans

The Salt Lake Valley Health Department created a series of hygiene education lesson plans  for Kindergarten through 6th grade.

H1N1 Email Alerts

Schools, parents and other interested parties are encouraged to sign up for H1N1/swine flu email alerts.

H1N1 Vaccination Program

At this time, little is known of the details for the distribution of the H1N1 vaccine. School-aged children are among the target groups for the vaccine, so in-school vaccination is a likely option.

School administrators are encouraged to begin considering how they would handle parental acceptance forms. The H1N1 vaccine will be administered in two doses, roughly 21 days apart. Those who miss the first vaccination cannot receive the second. Makeup vaccinations will likely be available at all SLVHD Public Health Centers.

School Recommendations

Available at Flu.gov.

Summary

  • Stay home when sick: Those with flu-like illness should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines.
  • Separate ill students and staff: Students and staff who appear to have flu-like illness should be sent to a room separate from others until they can be sent home.
  • Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette: The new recommendations emphasize the importance of the basic foundations of influenza prevention: stay home when sick, wash hands frequently with soap and water when possible, and cover noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or a shirt sleeve or elbow if no tissue is available).
  • Routine cleaning: School staff should routinely clean areas that students and staff touch often with the cleaners they typically use.
  • Early treatment of high-risk students and staff: People at high risk for influenza complications who become ill with influenza-like illness should speak with their health care provider as soon as possible. Early treatment with antiviral medications is very important for those who are pregnant, have asthma or diabetes, have compromised immune systems, or have neuromuscular diseases.
  • Consideration of selective school dismissal: Although there are not many schools where all or most students are at high risk (example, schools for medically fragile children or pregnant students) a community might decide to dismiss such a school to better protect these high-risk students.

If H1N1/swine flu increases in severity, additional measures may be recommended.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Additional Resources