Health Message from Topeka Public Schools
Dr. Julie Putnam, coordinator nursing services
Dr. Julie Putnam, coordinator nursing services
Topeka Public Schools, in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and Shawnee County Health Agency (SCHA), is closely monitoring the Ebola situation and the status of other communicable diseases including Enterovirus D68. Updates to the district’s infection control measures will be implemented based on directives from KDHE and SCHA.
If a student/staff member/visitor is suspected of having a communicable disease based on KDHE and SCHA guidelines the following steps will be implemented:
· Separate the ill individual from others.
· Notify the appropriate contact person(s) (e.g. parents/guardians for students or as indicated for staff/visitors).
· Advise the appropriate contact person(s) (e.g. parents/guardians for students or as indicated for staff/visitors) to contact their health care provider for the next appropriate steps.
· Ill individuals will be sent home until symptom free for 24 hours without use of fever reducing medications.
Enterovirus D68
The United States has been experiencing a nationwide outbreak of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) associated with severe respiratory illness that has been especially harmful to children. At the same time, you and your communities may also have questions about the Ebola virus. To address both public health concerns, the U.S. Department of Education and our federal health partners have a number of informational resources to share with you.
Almost all of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-confirmed cases this year of EV-D68 infection have been among children. Many of the children had asthma or a history of wheezing. Many parents continue to be worried about the outbreak and want information about what they can do to prevent illness and protect themselves and their families. The CDC has developed information and resources for parents about EV-D68. Please help us to address parents’ questions and concerns and make them aware that these resources are available.
More information can be found at www.cdc.gov/features/evd68/
The Facts About Ebola
Ebola is a viral disease that is spread through direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids of a person who is sick with Ebola.
Symptoms:
- Symptoms include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Joint and muscle aches
- Weakness
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain
- Lack of appetite
- Symptoms usually appear 8 - 10 days after exposure to someone who is sick with Ebola, but may appear up to 21 days after exposure.
- A person infected with Ebola is not contagious until symptoms appear.
Transmission:
- Ebola is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids (blood, vomit, urine, sweat, breast milk) of someone who is infected with Ebola and is showing symptoms or someone who has recently died of Ebola.
- Ebola can only be spread from one person to another when the person infected with Ebola is showing symptoms.
- Ebola is not spread through water, air or food.
- Ebola is not spread through casual contact.
- For a person to spread Ebola to others, they must have:
- Been in areas within the last 21 days where Ebola disease is occurring, AND
- Been in contact with the blood or body fluids (blood, vomit, urine, sweat, breast milk) of a person with Ebola who is showing symptoms or a person who has recently died from Ebola, AND
- Developed Ebola symptoms.
Treatment:
- There is no specific medication that cures Ebola and no vaccine to prevent it.
- Treatment of an Ebola patient is supportive, meaning providing fluids, maintaining blood pressure, and providing blood transfusions as needed.
More information:
- Information about Ebola virus disease can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola
- Information about Ebola can also be found on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment website: www.kdheks.gov/ebola