Message from School Nurse: Influenza Season

Dear Parents,

UPDATE 31/1/2018: The CHP have asked all schools to look at and enforce good hygiene, i.e. washing hands regularly and using masks when needed. Please click here to read further and familiarise your home with the necessary information.

According to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), there has been an increase in the number of influenza cases in Hong Kong, indicating that Hong Kong has entered the 2017/18 winter influenza season. The CHP anticipates that the local seasonal influenza activity will continue to rise in the coming weeks and remain at an elevated level for some time.

To prevent outbreaks of influenza and other respiratory infections in school, please could you talk to your child about maintaining strict hand and personal hygiene, as below:

• Keep hands clean and wash hands properly with liquid soap for up to 20 seconds. Avoid touching your mouth, nose or eyes with unclean hands.
• Cover nose and mouth while sneezing and coughing, wash hands properly afterwards, and dispose of dirty tissues in a covered bin.
• Maintain a balanced diet, have adequate rest and exercise.
• Avoid visiting crowded places with poor ventilation.
• Wear a surgical mask and seek medical advice promptly if fever or respiratory symptoms develop.

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) has advised that if your child has a fever (oral temperature is higher than 37.5C, ear temperature 38.0C), regardless of the presence of respiratory symptoms, they should seek medical advice, and remain at home for 48 hours until after the fever has subsided.

In addition, if your child has flu-like symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat, cough, vomiting or diarrhea, please seek medical advice and allow adequate rest at home until your child is better, before returning to school.

Please could parents monitor your child’s temperature before coming to school, and see your doctor to obtain the influenza vaccination.

For the latest information on influenza activity, please visit the website of the Centre for Health protection. (www.chp.gov.hk)

If your child is absent from school because of illness, please inform the school at wis@wis.edu.hk

Thank you.

Joyce Yetman
School Health Professional.