The Warwick School

6 May 2009

Dear Parent

Swine Flu – Flu Pandemic

The current media attention being devoted to ‘Swine Flu’ is very significant and this can lead to a disproportionate level of anxiety between the actual risk to individuals and the perceived risk. This feeling of anxiety applies especially to children who often cannot accurately determine the level of risk to them or their family and friends; consequently they can become very anxious – even if they do not express it.

As a school, we are intending to take a small number of simple steps to reduce the level of anxiety for children who are inevitably exposed to news stories and playground gossip, whilst at the same time developing good hygiene habits. We will

1. Hold a special assembly to ensure children are aware of the appropriate facts and understand that very simple procedures can vastly reduce the chances of developing flu.
2. Display multiple copies of NHS posters related to washing hands & coughs and sneezes.
3. Remind children of the availability of tissues within the classroom.
4. Reaffirm the importance of washing hands (properly!) before eating and after going to the toilet.

What can parents do to help reinforce our messages? The messages are simple:

Wash hands thoroughly and regularly
Catch it – germs spread easily. Always carry tissues and use them to catch your cough and sneeze.
Bin it – germs can live for several hours on tissues. Dispose of your tissue as soon as possible.
Kill it – hands can transfer germs to every surface you touch. Clean your hands as soon as you can.
Please ensure that you support and share these simple messages with your children so that they develop good habits now and for the future.
What should I do if my child becomes ill?

If your child demonstrates the following - a fever; cough and/or shortness of breath; aching muscles; sore throat; runny nose, sneezing; loss of appetite; headache; malaise (lethargy, listlessness); chills – the current advice is: If you have not recently travelled to affected areas, you should be guided by the severity and number of symptoms, as you would normally. Clearly a child should not attend school if they are suffering with a fever: Beyond that they should not attend if their other symptoms are significant. They would normally be expected to remain absent until well enough to return.

If you have travelled to/ from the affected areas or have been in close contact with someone who has, within the past 7 days, and are showing signs of flu-like symptoms i.e. fever accompanied by one or more of a cough, sore throat, headache and muscle aches, you are advised not to go to your GP practice. To limit contact with others stay at home and call your doctor or contact NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or via www.nhs.uk

Where can I find more information?

As cold, hard facts usually reduce anxiety, I have included a number of information websites that you may find useful:
The Surrey Alert website - http://www.surreyalert.info/
The Surrey Health NHS website - http://www.surreyhealth.nhs.uk/
The Government Information Website - http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/index.htm
Health Protection Agency Website - http://www.hpa.org.uk/

I hope you find this information useful and understand that this communication is aimed at ensuring our community is well prepared for the possibility of pandemic flu affecting Surrey and has clear actions, understood by all, securely in place. If you have further questions regarding the school’s response to the current risk of a flu pandemic, please contact me.

Yours sincerely

Ron Searle
Headteacher