Kids Quest Online

Yesterday we discoverwd that a child attended one of our Early Childhood classrooms at 9:30 AM on Sunday was later diagnosed with N1H1.

We wanted to make sure that all of our parents were aware of the situation. We are sending additional information to all the families of children who were in that child’s classroom. If you don’t get a follow-up email, it’s probably because your child was not in contact with the sick child.

However, let me share with you the same information I’m sharing with the parents specifically involved.

We’ve consulted doctors and nurses who have given us some background information. Currently, all the hospitals are dealing with N1H1 on a regular basis. It is rapidly spreading and many people are getting it. It’s a new strain and it’s getting a lot of media attention. The fact is that 99.9% of cases have been like any other flu. Here’s what a nurse emailed me:

Flu is spread easiest from a droplet form. So kids that sneeze without covering their mouths (as they all do!) can spread it to kids within about 6 feet of them. The incubation period is about 1-4 days. People a contageous up to one day before symptoms, so that’s a problem.
People have responded well to Tamiflu anti-viral treatment, but I don’t think children under 1 can receive it.

Attached is a flyer being distributed by many of the hospitals: h1n1_take3

So, what does thsi mean for you?

Should you panic? Of course not. It’s unlikely that your child was affected. However, if your child does develop flu-like symptoms, go in to see your doctor. Your doctor has probably already seen many other cases and he/she probably won’t be overly concerned. In the mean time, we have sanatized our early childhood rooms and they are ready for kids this upcoming Sunday!

One last thing:

This has wonderfully illustrated why we have a sick-child policy, which is posted in the window of most rooms. If your child has any symptoms of sickness, please stay at home. Technically, children are not allowed in Kids Quest if they’ve shown any symptoms in the last 24 hours. Keeping a sick  child away from Kids Querst will make all our other parents happy!