Dear Teachers and Parents,

As more swine flu cases begin to appear (several San Jose high school are shut down for a week to deter the spread of the swine flu), BCS would like to urge parents NOT to bring their kids to school if they have swine flu symptoms (see below). We need to be responsible citizens to this potential outbreak. Students who show flu symptoms in class would be sent to the office. Parents would be notified to pick up their child in this case.

Enclosed is an abstract from CDC regarding what is the "swine flu symptoms" and their recommendation. At BCS, we would like to pass this information to all parents to make good judgment calls about sending their kids to school.

The following link from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention will provide more information:

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/general_info.htm

Berryessa Union School District also has updated information from the Santa Clara County Health Dept:

http://www.berryessa.k12.ca.us/15691043018131150/site/default.asp

Santa Clara County Health Department home page:

http://www.sccphd.org

Northern California Kaiser Permanente Home Page:

https://www.kaiserpermanente.org

"When in doubt, keep your kids at home!"
"When in doubt, call your physician!"
"When in doubt, send the kid(s) to the campus office."

"Please inform BCS @bcs_board@yahoo.com immediately if your child become a confirmed/probable case of swine flu"

Not everyone is fully trained to deal with or handle this kind of outbreak. BCS can only take the necessary precautions as a responsible institution to protect our members and our staffs. We are asking you to use your best judgement. Keep sanitized wipes around.

Each campus office has been instructed to contact parents/guardians to bring the kid(s) home.

Although the name 'swine flu' brings up a lot of extra fear and worry, it is important to note that swine flu is just an influenza A H1N1 virus. That means that it is just another type of flu virus, just like that causes our typical seasonal flu symptoms. The big difference is that the current swine influenza A (H1N1) virus has components of pig and bird influenza viruses in it, so that humans don't have any immunity to it. That makes it more likely to become a pandemic virus (have the ability to cause a global outbreak) if it can easily spread from person-to-person. So far, experts don't know if this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus will become a pandemic strain of flu. It could or we just continue to see sporadic cases for a few weeks or months until it stops. We do know that swine flu symptoms are just like seasonal flu symptoms.

Recommendations from CDC

Swine Flu Symptoms

According to the CDC, like seasonal flu, symptoms of swine flu infections can include: fever, which is usually high
  • cough
  • runny nose or stuffy nose
  • sore throat
  • body aches
  • headache
  • chills
  • fatigue or tiredness, which can be extreme
  • diarrhea and vomiting (sometimes)

    Signs of a more serious swine flu infection might include pneumonia and respiratory failure.

    If your child has symptoms of swine flu, you should avoid other people and call your pediatrician who might do a rapid flu test to see if he has an influenza A infection. Further testing can then be done at the CDC to see if it is a swine flu infection.

    Swine Flu Symptoms vs. a Cold or Sinus Infection

    It is important to keep in mind most children with a runny nose or cough will not have swine flu and will not have to see their pediatrician for swine flu testing.

    This time of year, many other childhood conditions are common, including:

  • spring allergies - runny nose, congestion, and cough
  • common cold - runny nose, cough, and low grade fever
  • sinus infections - lingering runny nose, cough, and fever
  • strep throat - sore throat, fever, and a positive strep test

    What You Need To Know

  • Swine flu spreads likely spreads by direct contact with respiratory secretions of someone that is sick with swine flu, like if they were coughing and sneezing close to you.
  • People with swine flu are likely contagious for one day before and up to seven days after they began to get sick with swine flu symptoms.
  • Droplets from a cough or sneeze can also contaminate surfaces, such as a doorknob, drinking glass, or kitchen counter, although these germs likely don't survive for more than a few hours.
  • Anti-flu medications, including Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir), are available to prevent and treat swine flu.

    Regards,

    Berryessa Chinese School Administration
    November 4, 2009