MRSA Notes

From Pittsburgh’s Post-Gazette :

Keeping tabs on the spread of communicable illnesses often starts with a district’s daily attendance numbers.

“The district watches attendance trends carefully,” said NorthAllegheny spokeswoman Mary Marous. “Our current average dailyattendance is 96 percent. If numbers in a particular school or acrossthe district drop significantly, we will look into the reasons.”

The Allegheny County Health Department asks that schools notify thedepartment when an absentee rate is more than 20 percent above normal.

The school nurse’s office is another key spot where illness trends arecarefully monitored. School nurses in many districts said the firstthing they do when illness is on the rise is head into the classroomsto reinforce good hygiene, particularly with younger students.

“Hand washing, hand washing, hand washing. I think that’s my middlename,” said Lynn Fey, an elementary school nurse in the Mars AreaSchool District.

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