Nurse Updates

Dear Families,

This past month we have seen several illnesses including strep throat, influenza, norovirus, RSV, and pneumonia. We are regularly disinfecting/sanitizing along with reinforcing the importance of washing hands and proper hand hygiene; however, we need your help in preventing further spread of illnesses. Please remember that if your child has a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, they should stay home from school until they are symptom-free for at least 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medications). Please take a look at the illness protocol, which is in the first section below.

Also, as spring break approaches, if you are traveling please be aware of any illness outbreaks in the areas you are visiting. Measles cases have been on the rise this school year and there have been some outbreaks already in 2025 in our country.

The best way to prevent measles is community-wide vaccination so please consider vaccination if you or your child(ren) are not yet vaccinated.

Thank you for your help in keeping our schools healthy!

Below you will find information on the following:

• Illness Protocol
• Health Topics
• Measles
• Brain Injuries (March is Brain Injury Awareness Month)
• COVID Guidance
• Medications at School
• Our Health Staff

Nicole Wollert

District Nurse

nicole.wollert@westfieldpioneers.org

If your child has a fever over 100 degrees, is vomiting, or has diarrhea, your child should stay home from school. Your child may return to school when they have been free of fever/vomiting/diarrhea for at least 24 hours.

Your child should also stay home from school if he/she has an unidentified rash or live head lice.

If your child has a rash, your child may return to school when their doctor recommends. Please provide a note to your child's school office from their medical provider indicating when they may return.

If your child has live head lice, he/she may return to school after they are treated as long as there are no longer any live lice.

Your child should stay home if he/she has an eye infection and is unable to avoid touching their eyes.

If your child has a communicable disease, please refer to this chart for guidance on when they may return to school.

As you may have heard on the news there have been measles cases and outbreaks in the U.S recently.

Here is some information on measles.

• Spread/Transmission: Through respiratory droplets (coughs, sneezes, etc). It is highly contagious; the virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace.
• Typical Symptoms: The first symptoms to appear usually include a high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. A rash appears 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms.
• Treatment: There is no specific antiviral therapy for measles. Treatment usually includes providing comfort measures to relieve symptoms, such as rest, drink plenty of fluids, use fever-reducing medications, and use a humidifier and saline nasal sprays.
• Prevention: Community-wide vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles (per World Health Organization). So make sure you have received the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. Two doses are recommended: first dose at 12-15 months of age and second dose at 4-6 years of age.
• Return to School Criteria: Students who have been diagnosed with measles would need to be cleared by the health department or their medical provider in order to return to school. Individuals who are not vaccinated against measles or who have compromised immune systems should stay home day 7 through day 21 following their earliest exposure (or based on health department guidance).

For more information on Measles, please visit the WI DHS website https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/immunization/measles.htm or the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html.

For more information about current outbreaks, please visit the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html.

March is Brian Injury Awareness Month and helps raise awareness of the importance of detection and treatment of brain injuries.

Here is some general information about brain injuries:

• Brain injuries are damage to the brain tissue, which can be caused by many factors.
• Some causes include:
• Stroke (blood vessel blockage/rupture in the brain)
• Infections (bacterial or viral infections of the brain)
• Brain tumors (abnormal growths in the brain)
• Penetrating brain injury (object piercing the brain)
• Traumatic brain injury (blow/bump to head)
• More Information on Traumatic Brain injuries (TBIs) and Concussions:
• Symptoms of a mild TBI can include: Headache, Nausea or vomiting, Fatigue or drowsiness, Problems with speech, Dizziness or loss of balance, Sensory problems (blurred vision, ringing in the ears, bad taste in mouth, or changes in ability to smell), Sensitivity to light or sound, Loss of consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes, Dazed, confused, or disoriented, Memory or concentration problems, Mood changes or mood swings, Feeling depressed or anxious, Difficulty sleeping, Sleeping more than usual.
• Symptoms of a moderate to severe TBI can include: loss of consciousness for several minutes to hours, Persistent headache or headache that worsens, Repeated vomiting or nausea, Convulsions or seizures, Dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes, Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears, Inability to awaken from sleep, Weakness or numbness in fingers and toes, Loss of coordination, Profound confusion, Agitation, Slurred speech, Coma.
• When to see a doctor: if there are any signs or symptoms after a head injury.
• Statistics per Brain Injury Association of America:
• There are more than 5.3 million individuals in the US who are living with a permanent brain injury-related disability.
• More than 2.8 million Americans sustain traumatic brain injuries in the US every year.

Resources: CDC, Brain Injury Association of America, and Mayo Clinic

We are continuing to recommend families follow the CDC's guidance, which can be found here.

We are continuing to follow our illness protocol that we followed prior to COVID - if a student has a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, then they should stay home until they are free of fever/vomiting/diarrhea for at least 24 hours.

If a student has multiple COVID-like symptoms (cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle/body aches, new loss of taste or smell, headache, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fever or chills), then they should contact their medical provider's office for guidance.

If a student tests positive for COVID or was in close contact with an individual who tested positive, the student should follow their doctor's guidance. Documentation from their doctor must be provided to the school office stating the student should be excused from school and their return date in order for the student's absence to be excused. Just as prior to COVID, student absences that occur without a doctor's note will be unexcused until proper documentation is provided.

If your child needs medication at school, please fill out a medication consent form (see below) and drop off the medication (in its original packaging) at your child's school office.

If it is an over-the-counter medication, such as Tylenol, etc, then only a parent/guardian signature is needed on the medication form. This would include cough drops with menthol or other medicine in them.

If it is a prescription medication, then a medical provider's signature is also required.

A medical provider's signature would also be required if the dosage written on the form by the parent/guardian differs from the recommended therapeutic dose on the medication label.

We are not able to administer medications to students without a medication form completed. Students are not allowed to keep their own supply of medication in their lockers.

Exceptions to this are albuterol inhalers for students with asthma, glucagon for students with diabetes, and epinephrine for students with severe allergic reactions; a medication form still needs to be completed for these medications even if the student is carrying the medication themselves.

All other needed medication must be administered through the school office.