Dear Rochester Parents:

There has been a recent concern nationwide over the virus known as EV-D68.   Within the Rochester Schools there has been a concern about a diagnosis for children related to this virus.  Based on the ongoing conversation with the NH Department of Health, no confirmed EV-D68 cases/clusters have been reported in NH as of September 15, 2014.   We don’t know what will happen; the recent news suggested that it will be in all fifty states in the future.  So, we want to emphasize what you can and should do related to illness.

 The same things the Center for Disease Control usually recommends during cold and flu season.

• Make sure kids wash their hands frequently
• Avoid sharing utensils.
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as doorknobs.
• Make sure vaccinations, including flu shots, are up to date in order to protect kids from vaccine-preventable infections.
• If your child has asthma, make sure it is kept under control.
• Children, when ill with fever and flu like symptoms, should remain home from schoolIn the last significant virus outbreak several years ago, the hand sanitizers installed in the schools seemed to help reduce the infections.

  Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said doctors around the nation should be on the alert for the strain of virus known as EV-D68. Because of how frequently people travel, it’s unrealistic to expect outbreaks to stay contained to certain parts of the country.

  Children with asthma appear to be particularly vulnerable; Schuchat said EV-D68 is an uncommon member of a common type of virus called enteroviruses. The CDC estimates there are between 10 million and 15 million enterovirus infections in the United States every year.

  Most people infected with enteroviruses have no symptoms or only mild symptoms, such as runny noses. There is no vaccine or treatment, and most patients just need rest and fluids for the virus to run its course.

  “Runny noses and sniffles aren’t unexpected … but if it looks like your child is having difficulty breathing, you definitely want to seek medical help,” Schuchat said.

  Still, parents need not hit the panic button, said Dr. Juan Dumois, director of the pediatric infectious disease program at All Children’s Hospital Johns Hopkins Medicine in St. Petersburg. He pointed out that most children with a respiratory illness get better on their own, and are never tested for the particular strain of enterovirus causing the recent outbreak.

  “You don’t test the kids who are relatively healthy and might test positive for enterovirus,” he said. “You tend to test the sicker ones because you want to know what they have. … You get an impression that this virus makes people very sick.”

  So what should parents do? The same things the CDC usually recommend during cold and flu season. Make sure kids wash their hands frequently and avoid sharing utensils. Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as doorknobs. Make sure vaccinations, including flu shots, are up to date in order to protect kids from vaccine-preventable infections. If your child has asthma, make sure it is kept under control. And keep sick kids out of school.

  Please contact your child’s school nurse or your child’s physician if you have a concern.

  Sincerely,

   

  Michael L. Hopkins

  Superintendent of Schools.