SAD 1 students sent home

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – A number of SAD 1 students have missed school recently because of the stomach flu.
     Deb Raymond, health services director for the district, said in a letter that was sent out to parents Monday that noroviruses, a group of viruses that cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and some stomach cramping, has had a great impact on schools in southern Maine, and now many local students are experiencing the same symptoms.
“A common name for this illness is ‘stomach flu,’” said Raymond in the letter. “This ‘stomach flu’ is unrelated to the seasonal flu, or influenza, which is a respiratory illness, and is highly contagious.
“In addition, the virus remains in your system and is able to be passed on to other people for up to three days after recovery from any of the symptoms. For this reason, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children who are ill remain at home during the symptomatic period and for 48 to 72 hours after the last set of symptoms are experienced,” Raymond wrote. “In an effort to diminish the spread of the norovirus among our school population, SAD 1 supports these recommendations.”
According to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s fact sheet, some people also have a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness. The illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. The illness is usually brief, with symptoms lasting only about one or two days. In general, children experience more vomiting than adults. Most people with norovirus illness have both of these symptoms.
Currently, there is no antiviral medication that works against norovirus and there is no vaccine to prevent infection. Norovirus infection cannot be treated with antibiotics because antibiotics work to fight bacteria and not viruses.
When people are ill with vomiting and diarrhea, they should drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. Dehydration among young children, the elderly and the sick can be common, and is the most serious health effect that can result form norovirus infection. By drinking oral rehydration fluids (ORF), juice, or water, people can reduce their chance of becoming dehydrated.
People can decrease their chance of coming in contact with noroviruses by following these preventive steps:
• Frequently wash your hands, especially after toilet visits and changing diapers and before eating and preparing food.
• Carefully wash fruits and vegetables, and steam oysters before eating them.
• Thoroughly clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces immediately after an episode of illness by using a bleach-based household cleaner.
• Immediately remove and wash clothing or linens that may be contaminated with virus after an episode of illness (use hot water and soap).
• Flush or discard any vomitus and/or stool in the toilet and make sure that the surrounding area is kept clean.
Raymond encourages parents to contact their child’s health care provider “should symptoms last longer than one to two days or if your child should become dehydrated.”
For more information, call Raymond at 764-8105.