September 2, 2009

Dear St. Margaret’s School Community members,

Like all schools, St. Margaret's School has been preparing our response to the H1N1 flu virus. We have been working with the local and state health departments to monitor conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take for our school. We are also consulting the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for residential communities like ours.

We are providing guidance for our faculty and students on plans to minimize class disruptions caused by faculty and students becoming ill. Flu viruses spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with the flu. All members of the community will be instructed on what they can do to prevent the spread of flu. As a first step, hand sanitizers and tissues have been placed throughout the campus.

Current advisories do not recommend school closure. Based on current conditions, the CDC is recommending that students, faculty, and staff with flu-like symptoms stay in their homes or dormitories for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) or signs of a fever. This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications.

We have established plans for identifying, caring for, and supporting students with flu-like symptoms in locations on our campus which would provide adult care while isolating students from others in the community. At this time, the H1N1 flu virus is causing illness similar to the seasonal flu strains. Most cases are mild and patients recover without medical care. Those at risk for complications from the flu should contact their health care provider and notify our school nurse.

In addition to following good cough and hand hygiene etiquette, one step that each person can take is to be vaccinated for the seasonal flu and for the H1N1 flu virus, when these are available. We will notify you when these become available for administration to the immediate members of our school community by our nurses.

For up to date information on the flu, visit the following web sites:
       CDC: www.cdc/gov/h1n1flu/
      Virginia Dept. of Health: www.vdh.virginia.gov

We will update H1N1 flu information in our weekly Cross Currents email to the community and will provide a link to this information on our web site. We appreciate your help in supporting us in caring for our community.

Sincerely,

Margaret R. Broad
Head of School


Community – Health – H1N1 Flu Update: keep these links in mind!