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The primary goals of the nursing staff at the Ocean City High School are to provide quality physical and emotional healthcare for the students and staff while promoting a safe and structured educational environment. Please use this site as a guide to all health and sports needs related to your student.
MRSA
What is it?
MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus) is a type of staph bacterium that is resistant to antibiotics, making it more difficult to treat. It usually appears as a skin infection, but may lead to pneumonia or blood infections.
Who can get it?
Although previously found in hospitals and nursing homes, MRSA is now appearing in schools and daycare centers.
What does it look like?
Staph or MRSA infections usually appear as skin infections such as pimples, pustules and boils, which are red, swollen, painful, or have puss or other drainage.
How is it spread?
MRSA is almost always spread by direct physical contact. It can also spread when people contact contaminated objects such as towels, clothing, and gym or sports equipment.
How can we prevent it?
Simple measures such as proper hand washing, showering after working out and laundering clothing in hot water can help avoid contamination. If you have an opening in the skin it is important to keep it covered. Do not share equipment that is not cleaned regularly.
**Contact your Doctor if you have any suspicious skin lesions.
For more information on MRSA
H1N1 Flu Information
Action Steps for Parents to Protect Your Child and Family from the Flu this School Year:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 4 main ways you and your family may keep from getting sick with the flu at school and at home:
1) Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
2) Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder; not into your hands.
3) Stay home if you or your child is sick for at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine). Keeping sick students at home means that they keep their viruses to themselves rather than sharing them with others.
4) Get your family vaccinated for seasonal flu and H1N1 flu when vaccines are available.
If flu conditions become MORE severe, parents should consider the following steps:
Extend the time sick children stay home for at least 7 days, even if they feel better sooner. People who are still sick after 7 days should continue to stay home until at least 24 hours after symptoms have completely gone away.
If a household member is sick, keep any school-aged brothers or sisters home for 5 days from the time the household member became sick. Parents should monitor their health and the health of other school-aged children for fever and other symptoms of the flu.
Follow these steps to prepare for the flu during the school year:
Plan for child care at home if your child gets sick or their school is dismissed.
Plan to monitor the health of the sick child and any other children in the household by checking for fever and other symptoms of flu.
Identify if you have children who are at higher risk of serious disease from the flu and talk to your healthcare provider about a plan to protect them during the flu season. Children at high risk of serious disease from the flu include: children under 5 years of age and those children with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.
Identify a separate room in the house for the care of sick family members.
Update emergency contact lists.
Collect games, books, DVDs and other items to keep your family entertained if schools are dismissed or your child is sick and must stay home.
Talk to your school administrators about their pandemic or emergency plan.
For more information:
Visit: https://www.flu.gov/
Contact CDC 24 Hours/Every Day
1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)
TTY: (888)232-6348
cdcinfo@cdc.gov
Centers for Disease Control Flyer
Crisis Services
To view this helpful PDF containing quick contact information for crisis services, click here.
County Vaccine Program Information
To download the attached PDF for more information, click here. |
