To Our Kirtland Schools Parents/Guardians,
With cold and
flu season upon us, we wanted to send out a reminder about the Ohio
Department of Health reports that influenza (flu) activity levels have
increased over the past several weeks. As a reminder:
Do not send your child to school if they are feeling sick.
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that can cause mild to severe illness.
Symptoms of influenza can vary, but generally include a high fever, headache, chills, body aches, sore throat, runny nose and cough.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer these tips to prevent the flu:
Get vaccinated every year.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Stay home if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
The 2019-2020 flu season is complicated by recent reports of a novel coronavirus or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a virus strain identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. Common symptoms include:
Although there have been reported cases of novel coronavirus globally, to date there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio. The disease is not spreading in the United States at this time, and the CDC considers risk to the general public to be low. The recommendations for preventing the spread of coronavirus are the same as the flu. We have posted information from the CDC on our School Nurse page on our website.
The Kirtland Local School District takes the health and wellbeing of our students and staff seriously, and we will continue to monitor the situation and obtain updates from the Ohio Department of Health and local health officials about the diagnosis and management of cases of novel coronavirus.
As has been past practice during cold/flu season, we will continue to clean and
disinfect surfaces nightly throughout our buildings, focusing on
high-touch, high-traffic areas with products specifically designed to
kill viruses.