Dear Parents,
As you are aware, there have been a number of confirmed cases of H1N1 Influenza A (formerly swine flu) in North Carolina. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described H1N1 as a type of influenza virus that causes respiratory disease that can spread between people. This is a new flu subtype. Symptoms include:
• Fever
• Cough
• Sore Throat
• Body aches
• Headache
• Chills and fatigue
• Occasionally, vomiting and diarrhea
Parents are urged to keep sick children at home, except to seek medical attention. Please do not
send your child to school when they are sick or running a fever. Students should return to school only after being free of fever for 24 hours. The following are measures you can take to decrease your child’s chance of getting H1N1:
- Teach your children to wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Be sure to set a good example by doing this yourself.
- Teach your children to cough and sneeze into a tissue or into the inside of their elbow.
- Tissues should be discarded after a single use and hands washed.
- Teach your children to stay at least six feet away from people who are sick.
- Children who are sick should stay home from school and stay away from other people until they are better.
- In communities where H1N1 has occurred, stay away from shopping malls, movie theaters, or other places where there are large groups of people.
If your child is absent from school for any reason, please report the absence to us.
Please be assured that our staff and administration are doing everything possible to keep your child safe at school. We will be closely monitoring the situation and will follow the guidance of the Durham County Health Department and the CDC in case there is a confirmed case of H1N1 at Voyager Academy. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Pam Murray at 433-3301.
Sincerely,
Carl Forsyth
