Cold and Flu Season Approaching

Cold and Flu Season is Approaching. Get ready! Here are some tips to help keep you healthy this cold and flu season.

1. Get a flu shot. It's the number one thing you can do to prevent the flu. Ask your doctor for one or look for flu clinics being run throughout San Diego. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a site where you can find a clinic near you http://vaccine.healthmap.org/

2. Wash your hands -- a lot. No matter what line of work you’re in, if you come in contact with people who are contagious, you have to wash your hands over and over, says Alan Pocinki, MD. Pocinki practices internal medicine at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC.

It sounds so simple, but soap and water are the constant companions of doctors and nurses. To completely get rid of viruses from your skin, you need to scrub hard for 20 seconds or more. A good way to time yourself is to sing "Happy Birthday" twice while scrubbing the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. It doesn't matter if the water's hot or cold -- the very act of scrubbing will physically remove the germs.

3. Avoid getting close to people who are sick. For example, don't shake hands.
“Doctors tend to be very cautious about hand shaking,” says Terri Remy, MD, medical director of Medical Associates at Beauregard in Alexandria, VA. “Just explain, ‘To keep transmission of colds and flu down, I’m not shaking hands. But hello! Nice to meet you!’ They understand.”

4. Keep your surroundings clean. Arlington, VA, massage therapist Amanda Long asks clients to stay home if they feel bad. But to be safe, she sanitizes doorknobs and light switches between sessions. It's a practice she swears by.

5. Try to keep up a healthy lifestyle. It's important to look after your own health, says Ardis Dee Hoven, MD, an internal medicine and infectious disease specialist in Lexington, Ky., and president-elect of the American Medical Association.

“Do all the things we all should be doing on a daily basis anyway,” says Hoven. “Get adequate rest -- which people underestimate -- get good nutrition, don’t smoke, and keep your allergies controlled, because if they’re out of control, then your upper respiratory tree is already inflamed, which sets it up to more easily acquire a virus.”

Hot hot heat

It's gonna be hot this week! Included below is the information letter sent to everyone in the Sweetwater Union High School District who needs to know.

You can do a lot at home to prepare for this heat, too. Drink lots of water. Your urine should be very light yellow. If it's dark or foul smelling, you need to drink more water.

Have your students carry a water bottle at school. I often see students with headaches and the biggest reason for them is lack of water. Drink up!

Margaret McLean RN, BSN, PHN
School Nurse
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Heat advisory warning for San Diego County is in place for the rest of the week beginning on Monday 9/8/15, please read and forward this information to your site PE teachers, athletic coaches, and after school program coordinators for appropriate precautions:

Please visit the following link for additional information and precautions http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/sun-safety.htm

Sites are encouraged to use cautionary measures the rest of the week due to the hot weather pattern in the South Bay.  It is expected to reach the high 80s by early afternoon and may possibly reach 90 degrees in some areas of Chula Vista, Otay Mesa, Imperial Beach, and National City.

▪80 – 89.9 º F                                    Caution Level

▪90 – 99.9º F                                     Extreme Caution Level

▪100º F or Above                              Danger Level

Immediately begin mitigating the effects of excessive heat for any students or staff in an area of the school that is at or above the “caution” level by doing the following:

Caution Level – encourage loose-fitting, lightweight clothing; encourage wide brimmed  hats and sun screen (SPF 30 or higher) during outdoor activities maintain adequate fluid intake (encourage students to bring water bottles and take frequent water breaks; increase room ventilation (open windows / doors, use fans); decrease physical activity (less strenuous) in PE classes and after school programs.

Extreme Caution Level – all of the above and move students / staff to cooler areas of the building, as often as necessary, to avoid being in the above 90º F areas for longer than 60 – 90 minutes at a time.  (During PE class- limit running activities.  Afterschool programs / sport activities held outside should be adjusted appropriately; limit conditioning and time in the sun.  Increase number of water breaks and close monitoring of student-athletes and possibly changing practice times).