Contingency Plan.

[Mamafear]

After hearing many stories of kids going to my childs school sick, or returning before 48 hours have passed, I am considering putting together an information sheet with PARENTS,NOTICE GASTRO OUTBREAK as a heading. On the notice I would outline symptoms and that it may require 3~4 days off school (hopefully scaring people into actually taking preventative measures) The bulk of the notice would have info on grape seed extract, acidopholis etc and suggest children are sent to school with hand sanitiser/wipes in their lunch box and don't return to school untill at least 48 hours have passed after last symptoms have passed. I would like to place around 150 at entry points of local supermarkets. I just need your opinion on whether this a good idea ot not (maybe it could panic any Emets out there? Opinions please!

[lizzo]

I respect your kindness and I think your intentions are well-placed. However, I would be wary about posting health information if you are not a health professional or working with a health authority. Generally, information that is circulated by citizens (while well-intentioned) is mostly motivated by paranoia and lacks credibility. I see it all the time in my job as a public health researcher. It's best to leave the knowledge regarding communicable disease and nonsocomial infection up to the folks who do that work for a living. Often public health notices include contact information for local nurse lines or walk in clinics. Some others may disagree with me and that's fine. If you're worried about transmission in school it's best to talk to your childs school administrator or school nurse and they can do the work for you.

[Mamafear]

Thanks for that Lizzo, and for replying so quickly.

[Jay417]

The main problem is the school does not really care. I mean even little kids are held to attendance rules. So, many parents fear allowing their kid to miss 3 or 4 days in row because the school may raise an issue with passing them to the next grade level regardless of their grades. Where I live grades k-5 can miss only 12 days a year, and 6-12 can only miss 6 before the school can refuse grade promotion. The rules make stopping an oubreak quite hard.

[lizzo]

Wow Jay, are those days for unnaccounted missed days? I.e - days with no note?

[Mamafear]

Wow, thats incredible! We don't have that here! What we do have is funding that is only available if the child doesn't have more than two weeks in a row off. The main problem higher decile primary schools have here is working parents sending children to school sick, while the lower decile schools struggle with funding for students perpetually absent. I did relief work at my daughters school (103 pupils) and we've a pretty good network of parents availabl for sickroom so parents can pick kids up a little later if getting away from work is a problem. My sons school is huge compared (311) and if a child is ill, you need to pick them up immediately.

[Mamafear]

What you hear alot of at the gate in the morning is "oh he seems okay this morning, just a bit of d" or"she's kept her dinner down last night so". Parents sometimes have no choice because of work commitments but there are too many parents with the "she seems okay" attitude, not 'she is okay'. Makes me sad that people are gifted with these precious wee people and yet are okay sending the poor wee kids to school obviously feeling miserablle (and they pass bugs onto my precious wee gift

[mamacat]

We have the same problem Jay does, our local system allows only 10 missed days per school year. If they miss more than 10, the PARENTS have to appear in court on truancy charges. It stinks, and that is why it spreads like wildfire here.u

When I was teaching we had a huge sv outbreak one year in my school. One of my class parents gifted me with 2 bottles of lysol and I used to hose down the door handles, pencil sharpeners, and table tops every day. I also brought in clorox wipes and let thekids wipe down their desks at dismissal each day. I think it helped, as I never had more than 5 or 6 kids out with it while other classes were just decimated by it.
So maybe giving the teacher some noro-killing products would help?

I am so sorry you are dealing with an epidemic, mamafear. I hope it will be short-lived.

[mamacat]

That is 10 days without a drs note, in our case, btw.

[sdd]

Mamafear, I'm sorry this is going on right now. Kind of sounds like our school. Kids were dropping like flies for a couple of weeks. If there is a bright side to noro (I'm stretching it I know!), it is that it is short lived. So, the outbreaks don't last for long. The nurse's office at school was empty all morning this morning and our absence list was shorter than I've seen it since October today. So, I'm thinking these outbreaks will stop occuring soon.

Having a a very little one myself, I understand your fears! It is so hard this time of year!

[pemmie]

I think it's a great idea to post the stuff about how long to keep a kid at home when they're sick as it's pretty much waht the CDC says. in fact, you could just post their precautions and it would help! people have NO IDEA!!!

[Mamafear]

Thanks so much for your feedback, and for your lovey words. It is amazing how much it helps to be gathered here together in support of one another. Before I found this group, I, like each one of you, was lost alone in what felt like an endless abyss of fear. Thanks all! X