An awareness session organized by Adma International School on AIS campus in Fatka, Friday September 11 2009 at 12:00 pm.
The session is presented by Dr. Philip Chedid - Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and answers parents’ concerns related to the return to school, H1N1 and the H1N1 vaccine. The invitation is directed to the AIS school community members, their friends and the Ministers, General Directors and members of Health and Education.

                        Presentation title offered by Dr. Philip Chedid – Sept 11, 2009 – AIS Campus

Dear Parent,

Unfortunately, we may be facing a health concern on a local and international level. Therefore, it is time to prove our continuous partnership by fighting and preventing the outbreak. Yes, you may say you are not the only responsible person, and what can one person do? Believe me you can make a difference by helping us implement the required steps.
Since the flu can easily spread from person to person, knowing the difference between the cold/seasonal flu and H1N1/Swine flu requires medical testing and attention. The incubation period ranges between one to seven days before the symptoms appear. Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of flu and we need your help and cooperation.
At the end, it is our children we are talking about!

 “Parents have a responsibility to look at their children in the morning and see if they are ill, and not send them to school if they are". However, the guidance indicates that schools should remain open unless an outbreak is affecting significantly attendance and staffing.                                                                                   

Richard Besser, MD, CDC's acting director 

Here are a few things you can do to help:

§  Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home, avoid contact with other people as much as possible, and used surgical masks to minimize and reduce contamination. 

§  Teach children to dispose of dirty tissues promptly and carefully, then follow appropriate,  available hand washing techniques. 

§  Clean hard surfaces, such as door handles or telephones, regularly using a normal cleaning product 

Symptoms of swine flu

Symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of seasonal flu and typically include a feverish illness, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite and muscle aches. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting. In young children, warning signs include fast or troubled breathing, a bluish skin tone and irritability.

• all children ages 6 months through 18 years, including those who are healthy and those with conditions that increase the risk of complications from influenza;
• household contacts and out-of-home care providers of:
    children with high-risk conditions and      
    healthy children younger than 5 years of age;
• health care professionals; and
• pregnant women.

Awareness and precautions by Adma International School

• AIS staff members attended the H1N1/Swine flu session with Dr. Philip Chedid and parents were invited
• The H1N1/Swine flu session was open to the public
• Instructional and non-instructional staff from Food & Beverage, Janitor, Cleaning, Security, Transportation and Health Department will receive the seasonal flu vaccine
• Soap dispensers were added in the playgrounds by all drinking faucets to encourage hand washing
• An awareness session about H1N1/Swine flu and contamination and hygiene will be offered by the school nurses during the first week of school to all students and cover and not be limited to:

                 Hand washing techniques: importance – how to -  antiseptic gel
                 Coughing or sneezing techniques
                 Disposing of dirty tissues
                 Contamination
                 Cleaning hard surfaces, such as door handles or telephones, regularly using a normal cleaning product

• Infra-red thermometer will be used at school (information included within the content of the health package)
• Disposable pillow covers will be used in the nurses’ rooms
• Surgical masks will be used by students and staff with flu symptoms and the people they are in contact with
• Posting hand washing techniques and updates on the school website
• Monitoring any development with the Ministries of Education and Health and making decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools.
• Keeping the AIS community updated with new information as it becomes available.

• conducting fever screening of students and staff as they arrive at school
• making changes to increase the space between people such as moving desks farther apart
• postponing class trips
• dismissing students from school for at least 7 days if they become sick and provide out of school academic support packages

Badiaa Khoury

Business Affairs Director