Human Swine Influenza Update
To limit the potential exposure, NSW Health has advised the department to take steps to exclude staff or students who may have been in countries that have had community or school transmission of the virus.
Currently the countries are Mexico, USA, Canada, Japan and Panama. This list will be continually revised. This 'exclusion' approach would mean that students or staff members returning, or arriving, from a country affected by human swine influenza would be instructed to remain at home for seven days (the maximum incubation period) following their travel before returning to school.
This will allow time for any illness related to that travel to develop, and for prompt assessment and treatment to commence. If they remain well after seven days they can return to school.
Principals should advise parents and staff members of these precautionary measures prior to overseas travel, where possible, to help parents and staff to make informed decisions and appropriate arrangements prior to travelling overseas.
It is important that we all cooperate with these strategies. The primary objective of NSW Health is to delay and limit the spread of human swine influenza within the community. This is a very important strategy in the effective management of the current influenza threat.
Once again, I ask you to remind staff and students about good hygiene practices and how to minimise the spread of infections. The Infection Control Guidelines (pdf) can be accessed on the department's Occupational Health and Safety Directorate intranet site.
Simple precautions that prevent catching and spreading influenza include
* covering your mouth and nose if you cough or sneeze;
* washing your hands after contact with soiled tissues or any contact with nose or throat discharge; and
* if students or staff are sick, advise them to stay home.
If you are aware of any students who have recently returned from overseas who are feeling unwell with any flu-like symptoms, please contact the parents or carers immediately and advise them to go to a hospital Emergency Department for assessment, or to ring their general practitioners if they are from rural areas where they may not have ready access to hospital.
NSW Health has asked that principals also notify the local public health unit.
If you would like more information about human swine influenza, please read the NSW Health website. If you need advice on how to manage a situation at your school please contact the Occupational Health and Safety Directorate on 9266 8958.
Thank you for your continued cooperation with relevant government agencies. You can confidently reassure staff and students that Australia has very strong planning and response measures in place to manage this health issue.
I will keep you up to date with relevant information.
With my best regards,
Michael Coutts-Trotter
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF TAFE NSW
24 May 2009
