February....

Happy Dental Health Month!!!

This month we had Healthy Smiles in school oral health program visit our school on Feb 3rd. 12 students were seen in which there were xrays, fillings, cleanings and sealants completed. We were thrilled to have them come assist our student in their dental health. They will return on March 9th and 10th to finish up our elementary students. If you are interested in their program they have a website: www.reachouthealthcare.com.

On Feb 17th McGuire Orthodontics will be here to do a screening on grades K-2 and will return on March 3rd to complete grades 3-5. We are so excited that professional members of our community are supporting our students.

STREP!!!!

This nasty bug has hit us hard this week! Here's a little info on strep....

Symptoms of strep throat, which is very common among kids and teens, include fever, stomach pain, and red, swollen tonsils.

Strep throat usually requires treatment with antibiotics. With the proper medical care — along with plenty of rest and fluids — a child should be back to school and play within a few days.
How Strep Throat Spreads

Anybody can get strep throat, but it's most common in school-age kids and teens. These infections occur most often during the school year when big groups of kids and teens are in close quarters.

The bacteria that cause strep throat (group A streptococcus) tend to hang out in the nose and throat, so normal activities like sneezing, coughing, or shaking hands can easily spread infection from one person to another.

That's why it's so important to teach kids the importance of hand washing — good hygiene can lessen their chances of getting contagious diseases like strep throat.
Strep Throat vs. Sore Throat

Not all sore throats are strep throats. Most episodes of sore throat — which can be accompanied by a runny nose, cough, hoarseness, and red eyes — are caused by viruses and usually clear up on their own without medical treatment.

A child with strep throat will start to develop other symptoms within about 3 days, such as:

* red and white patches in the throat
* difficulty swallowing
* tender or swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the neck
* red and enlarged tonsils
* headache
* lower stomach pain
* fever
* general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling
* loss of appetite and nausea
* rash

If your child has a sore throat and other strep throat symptoms, call your doctor. The doctor will likely do a rapid strep test in the office, using a cotton swab to take a sample of the fluids at the back of the throat. The test only takes about 5 minutes.

Treatment

In most cases, doctors prescribe about 10 days of antibiotic medication to treat strep throat. Within about 24 hours after starting on antibiotics, your child will probably no longer have a fever and won't be contagious. By the second or third day after taking antibiotics, the other symptoms should start to go away, too.

Even when feeling better, your child should finish the antibiotics as prescribed. If he or she stops taking antibiotics too soon, bacteria can remain in the throat and symptoms can return.

A person whose strep throat isn't treated is most infectious when the symptoms are the most severe but could remain contagious for up to 21 days. Lack of treatment — or not finishing the prescribed course of antibiotics — also can put someone at risk for other health problems, such as rheumatic fever (which can cause permanent damage to the heart), scarlet fever, blood infections, or kidney disease.

To prevent your sick child from spreading strep throat to others in your home, keep his or her eating utensils, dishes, and drinking glasses separate from others' and wash them in hot, soapy water after each use. Also, make sure your child doesn't share food, drinks, napkins, handkerchiefs, or towels with other family members.

H1N1 Clinic

Stoddard County Public Health Center will be on campus hosting an H1N1 Clinic for our students on Monday, December 14th (time is pending).
If you would like your child to participate in this clinic,please send back the permission slip/questionnaire that was sent home last week.
We are happy to have Stoddard County Public Health Center join us in keeping our students healthy!

H1N1 Flu Mist Clinic

The Stoddard County Public Health Center will be hosting an H1N1 influenza vaccine clinic on Tuesday, October 27th & Wednesday October 28th from 8 am -12 pm & 1 pm - 4pm. This clinic will be available for all healthy children ages 2-18 that can receive the Flu Mist (live) nasal spray vaccine. There will be no charge for these vaccinations. Further vaccination clinics will be planned as more vaccine becomes available. At this time, the Flu Mist (nasal spray) is the only type of vaccine that is available for this clinic.
Those that should NOT get the Flu Mist being offered at this time are as follows:
*anyone with a severe (life threatening)allergy to eggs or any other substance in the vaccine
*anyone with a weakened immune system
*Anyone with a long-term health problem
*Children younger than 5 with asthma
*anyone with certain muscle or nerve disorders (such as cerebral palsy) that can lead to breathing or swallowing problems
*anyone with long-term aspirin treatment
*anyone who is pregnant
If you are moderately or severely ill, or are experiencing nasal congestion, you might be advised to wait until you recover before getting the vaccine.
If you have any questions feel free to contact the Stoddard County Health Center at 573-568-4593

Seasonal Flu Shots at the Stoddard County Health Department

The Stoddard County Health Department will be giving Seasonal Flu shots!

Adults on:

Tuesday 8:30 - 4:00
Wednesday 8:30 - 4:00
The cost is $20.00 per injection.

Children on:

Thursday 8:30 - 4:00
Friday 8:30 - 4:00

They have the injection and mist available.
Free to children