Across the nation, the flu season is impacting many families. Here in Virginia Beach, school staff partners with student and families to help keep the flu out of schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe work throughout the year to educate our students on the best practices to keep them healthy and thriving in and out of school,\u201d said Mary Shaw, VBCPS health services coordinator. \u201cCertainly, we also ensure we are taking as many steps as possible at the school level to protect students from being exposed to any virus.\u201d<\/p>\n
At school buildings, areas with frequent student contact (such as desk tops and door knobs) are sanitized and disinfected on a regular basis, and teachers (especially at the elementary school level) remind students to wash their hands with soap and water throughout at the day. Even school buses are equipped with approved disinfectants in order to keep the bus as germ free as possible for students.<\/p>\n
With these measures in place, families are still reminded to take the appropriate steps to limit flu exposure at schools. For example, any student with symptoms of flu should stay home until they are well and fever free without using fever-reducing medications. Students with a fever are contagious. As such, keeping students with a fever and flu symptoms at home can reduce the spread of the flu in schools.<\/p>\n
If a student is diagnosed with the flu, it is important to follow your healthcare provider\u2019s recommendations regarding how many days they should stay home from school.<\/p>\n