In our case, we focus on two possible scenarios or circumstances, and we are addressing both at this time.
- On one hand, we need to protect the community from possible infection and be prepared should that happen. We are 1)educating all in the community on best practices for prevention, 2)ensuring that we are prepared for a quarantine situation, 3)stockpiling extra resources, and 4)looking to minimize risk of infection through unnecessary travel or exposure in confined spaces. For instance, this weekend we are limiting student travel to a few, supervised athletic events and tryouts, and allowing travel for college visits/selection. We understand that this will be unpopular for some and inconvenient for others but need to put the safety of the entire community first.
- The second focus is to ensure that our students have the chance to travel home if necessary before the possible closure of international borders or cessation of flights. This is very hard to predict, but we are monitoring the situation closely and will move quickly if we thing that the closure of borders becomes a high risk.
The resources that we are monitoring include the following national sources as well as local and state agencies:
World Health Organization
Centers For Disease Control (CDC)
We are also keeping posted through various news sources including CNN, The New York Times, China Daily, and the BBC among others.
The following is a statement that we issued from Winchendon this morning:
Influenza / H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) Precautions at The Winchendon School
The Winchendon School is committed to the health and safety of our entire community, so we have taken proactive steps to protect each of our residents. The Winchendon School Crisis Committee has met daily and discussed the current state of affairs from both local and global perspectives. We have educated our students on how to protect themselves. We have made hand sanitizer available to all students, distributed disinfectant wipes throughout the dorms, and posted notices in multiple languages throughout campus to promote hand washing and health precautions. We have cancelled school trips to public places and restricted unnecessary travel off campus. Certain school-sanctioned, supervised activities will continue as planned.
Recent reports confirm eight cases of the H1N1 influenza A virus in Massachusetts. Our medical staff has been monitoring our students’ health closely and has not detected any students with flu-like symptoms. Nevertheless, our medical staff is in close contact with national and state agencies, as well as the local hospital. We stand ready to identify and treat any potential cases of influenza on campus.
Our Crisis Committee is assessing, planning, and implementing the School’s response to the situation. We are following the advice of health officials and are doing all that we can to prevent infection. The safety of your children remains our first priority.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the campus health center at gharrington@winchendon.org, or at 978-297-1223 or the office of the Dean of Students.
We recommend that you reinforce the following precautions with your child:
First and most important, wash your hands with soap! Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Do not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
According to the CDC, symptoms for swine flu are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu in humans and may include some combination of the following:
Fever, greater than 100° F (38° C) Sore throat
Cough Stuffy nose
Chills Headache
Body aches Fatigue
To prevent the spread of H1N1 flu, the CDC suggests:
Avoid contact with ill persons, cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze, and throw used tissues in a trashcan. After you cough or sneeze, wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand gel.
Summary:
We are continuing to consult and follow the advice of public health authorities and sharing developments with the independent school community through email and also on our website.
For more information about, please visit the websites listed below or contact the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Immunization at 617-983-6088.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health website on influenza
http://www.mass.gov/dph/flu
Center for Disease Control (CDC) website on swine flu
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu
Our Student Body President Hao Wen has also translated it into Chinese for us:
温臣顿中学流行性感冒/H1N1流感（猪流感）防范措施
温臣顿中学由始至终的将学生的健康以及安全放在首位，我们已经实施了积极的方案来保护学校片区。温臣顿中学成立了紧急预防小组并且每日商讨国际以及国内的安全局势，另外还有教导学生如何保护自己的身体健康。学校已经开始提供手部杀菌剂，发放宿舍杀菌纸巾，用几种语言在全校范围内粘贴了关于健康防范措施的宣传单。 我们同时严控并取消了一些公共场所的校外活动。
最新的报道显示马塞诸塞州有八个H1N1流行性感冒病例。我们的医护工作人员非常仔细的注意着学生的身体安全，目前尚未发现有疑似流感的症状。另外，本校医护人员随时和美国以及本州的卫生部门以及当地医院保持着联系。在校园内我们随时准备着去辨认以及治疗任何潜在的流感案例。
学校紧急预防小组正在评估，计划，以及更新学校对当前局势的回应。我们听从卫生官员的意见以及采取任何措施去预防传染。学生的安全永远是我们的前提。
如果您有任何的疑问，请与本校医护室联系，gharrington@winchendon.org, 978-297-1223,您同时也可以与学生处主任联系。
我们也希望您能帮助增加孩子的预防意识：
第一也是最重要的，用洗手液勤洗手！保持身体健康。保持睡眠，多运动，减少压力，多喝水，以及多吃健康的食物。不要接触可能粘有流感细菌的物体。避免与生病的患者有过近的接触。
根据疾病防治中心的资料，猪流感的症状与人体季节性流感相似，有如下症状：
高烧超过38度 喉咙疼
咳嗽 鼻子堵塞
发冷 头疼
身体酸痛 疲劳
为防止H1N1流感的传播，疾病防治中心建议：
防止接触病人，在咳嗽时遮掩鼻子，将用过的纸巾扔到垃圾桶。在咳嗽以及清理鼻涕后，要用洗手液洗手或者喷杀菌剂。
总结：
我们将继续商讨、跟随公共健康官员的意见以及与周边学校交换信息。
如果您需要更多的信息，请游览以下的网站或者与马塞诸塞州卫生部流行病免疫科联系， 617-983-6088.
马塞诸塞州卫生部关于流行性感冒的网页
http://www.mass.gov/dph/flu
疾病防治中心关于猪流感的网页
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu
We will post additional updates as the situation warrants. Until then, we are busy ensuring that all at Winchendon are safe.
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