Nurse Updates
May 2025
Strep Throat
We have seen some cases of strep throat again this past month. Here is some general information about strep throat.
Strep throat is caused by bacterial infection from the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes.
- Spread/Transmission: through inhalation of respiratory droplets from an infected person or through shared food/drinks; also from touching surfaces with the bacteria and then touching your nose, mouth, or eyes.
- Typical Symptoms: throat pain, painful swallowing, fever, headache, red/swollen tonsils sometimes with white patches/streaks of pus, tiny red spots on the back of the roof of the mouth, swollen/tender lymph nodes in your neck, nausea or vomiting, body aches, and rash.
- Treatment: antibiotics to reduce the duration and severity of symptoms.
- Prevention: wash your hands, cover mouth when coughing/sneezing, and avoid sharing personal items (drinking glasses, eating utensils, etc).
- Return to School Criteria: students who have been diagnosed with strep throat would need to stay home from school until they have been on appropriate antibiotics for at least 12 hours and have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
If your child has symptoms, we recommend contacting their doctor's office.
We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to limit the spread of it so thank you in advance for your help.
For more information on Strep Throat, please visit the WI DHS website https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p4/p42092.pdf.
References: Mayo Clinic and WI DHS websites
Hypertension (May 17th is World Hypertension Day)
World Hypertension Day helps raise awareness of hypertension (high blood pressure) and the dangers of it.
Here is some general information about hypertension:
- Hypertension is high blood pressure that affects the body's arteries - the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls is consistently too high so the heart has to work harder to pump blood. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Hypertension is classified as blood pressure over 130/80.
- Blood pressure is systolic blood pressure over diastolic blood pressure.
- Systolic blood pressure measures the pressure your blood is pushing against your artery walls when your heart beats
- Diastolic blood pressure measures the pressure your blood is pushing against your artery walls while your heart muscle rests between beats
- Hypertension increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, aneurysm, heart failure, kidney problems, eye problems, memory changes, metabolic syndrome, and dementia.
- Types of hypertension:
- Primary hypertension (aka essential hypertension) which has no identifiable cause and tends to develop gradually over many years. Atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in arteries) can increase the risk.
- Secondary hypertension is caused by an underlying condition and tends to appear suddenly. Causes of secondary hypertension include: blood vessel problems (present at birth), adrenal gland tumors, kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid problems, cough/cold medicines, some pain relievers, some other prescription drugs, and illegal drugs.
- Prevention:
- Get your blood pressure checked at least every year
- Avoid smoking
- Get regular exercise
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet
- Signs/Symptoms: Most people with hypertension do not have symptoms; however, some may have a headache, shortness of breath, or nosebleeds. You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms.
- Risk Factors:
- Age - risk increases with age
- Race - more common among African Americans
- Family history - risk increases if you have a parent or sibling with hypertension
- Overweight or Obesity - excess weight causes body changes which often increase blood pressure
- Sedentary lifestyle - risk increases with lack of exercise due to weight gain and higher heart rate
- Salty diet - a lot of salt in the body causes the body to retain fluid and this increases blood pressure
- Low potassium levels - increases risk because potassium helps balance salt in the body
- Tobacco use/Vaping - use of these products raises blood pressure. Tobacco also injures the walls of blood vessels
- Drinking alcohol - increases blood pressure
- Stress - high stress can increase blood pressure
- Particular chronic conditions - diabetes, sleep apnea, kidney disease can all lead to high blood pressure
- Pregnancy - sometimes can cause high blood pressure
- Treatments can include:
- Lifestyle changes - eating a heart-healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight, stop smoking, limiting alcohol use, getting plenty of sleep
- Medications - Diuretics, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors, Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs), Calcium Channel Blockers, Alpha Blockers, Alpha-Beta Blockers, Beta Blockers, Renin Inhibitors, Aldosterone Antagonists, Central-Acting Agents, Vasodilators
- Statistics (per CDC):
- Nearly half of adults have high blood pressure (48.1% or 119.9 million)
- About 1 in 4 adults with high blood pressure have their blood pressure under control (22.5% or 27 million)
- 45% of adults with uncontrolled high blood pressure have a blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher (37 million U.S. adults)
- High blood pressure costs the U.S. about $131 billion each year
Resources: Mayo Clinic, American Heart Association, CDC
Nicole Wollert - District Nurse
