x RECEIVED FEB 02 2016 He northern health eee the northern way of caring “Telephone: (250) 631-4150, Fax (250) 636-7794 Spike in Gastrointestinal illnesses in Northern Communities January 25, 2016 There has been a recent spike in gastrointestinal illness in the community (abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea). Gastrointestinal illness caused by viruses such as, Norovirus are quite common this time of year. Large gatherings such as birthday parties, potlucks, and afterschool programs, may aid in the spread of infection because of people being in close contact with each other. The following are steps you can take to help reduce the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses in your school: 1. Keep children and staff that are sick separate from those that are healthy. Individuals who have had symptoms of gastrointestinal illness such as nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea (outside of normal) should be sent home until 48 hours after the last episode and avoid situations where they could easily pass the illness on to others, including public gatherings, school, and childcare programs. Seek medical attention if symptoms become more severe or persist. It is important to report to your Public Health Unit when there have been an abnormal number of cases. 2. Proper hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of disease. Always wash your hands well for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap. Always wash your hands before and after using the washroom, before eating or preparing foods, after helping someone who is ill, and after cleaning up potentially contaminated materials. 3. Increase environmental sanitation by cleaning and disinfecting commonly touch surfaces such as door knobs, faucets, telephones, handrails, food contact surfaces, keyboards, light switches, and toys. Norovirus can stay on objects and surfaces and still infect people for days or weeks, Items (such as plush toys and books) that cannot be properly sanitized should be stored away during this period, ~ An effective disinfectant can be easily prepared using household bleach and tap water at a 1:50 ratio (to prepare, mix 4tsp bleach with 1L water). For more information on gastrointestinal illness, visit www.healthtinkbc.ca or call 8-1-1 Yours sincerely, Dr. Raina Fumerton MPH FRCPC Northwest Medical Health Officerwy x northern health the northern way of caring ‘Adopted for Northern Health with permission from Interior Health. 2016 GI Infection In Schools GASTROINTESTINAL INFECTION (GI INFECTION) IS AN ILLNESS WITH DIARRHEA ANDIOR VOMITING. What is a Gl Infection Outbreak? An outbreak is when more people than normal are ill, You should report it to your local public health unit if you have more than 10% of students home from ‘your school due to diarrhea or vomiting (GI Infection). Public health may also investigate if a few students are ill wth a known bacteria. An example would bbe when two or more children are ill with a discase like Salmonella or E. coli 0157 which are common causes of ‘food poisoning,” Gi infections in schools are generally spread from person to person, but sometimes can be spread through water or food. The most common causes of Gl infections are viruses. Such infections start with sudden nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, and usually last 24 to 48 hours. Sometimes, these viral infections are incorrectly called the ‘stomach flu’. They spread easily from person to person as both feces (poo) and vomit (puke) are infectious. ‘Commonly touched items like door handles or bathroom taps can easily become contaminated, With that in mind, it is important to clean and disinfect well in a school during a Gl outbreak, using the right type of product that will Kill the virus I you have more than 10% of students il due to GI Infection or think there may be {an outbreak of GI Infection in your school, please call your focal health unt Plas cn th your eet coving Who do we call if we suspect an outbreak? You should call your local public health unit. so-414-6176 POF 01/16) July 2015, HELPFUL HINTS FOR CONTROLLING GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) INFECTIONS, IN YOUR SCHOOL What information does public health need? You should provide your public health nurse with the following informatio Q The number of children and stafFin the school © The number of children and staf who ar il ‘with vomiting or diarrhea Let the nurse know filles is mostly in 1'or2 classroomschool groups —+ Provide average umber of days students are aay il + Advise nurse ify students have been hospitalized or have bloody diarzhea + You may be asked o update this information DAILY for yor local public heath nurse WA list of extracurricular activities, clubs and special events that were held in the 2 weeks prior to the first illnesses [ZA list of any food events in the school for ‘the 2 weeks before the first people became ill Z The usual rate of absenteeism for the school Public Heath may ask for more information if ried. This ry incl st th + Date the illness started for each il person St Date the illness ended or each individual + The symptoms ofeach il person Contact information for student oF thie parent. At the beginning of the year, remind parents to report if their child is away from school due to GI Infection (diarthea or vomiting).