H1N1 Information

Watertown Public Schools

30 Common Street, Watertown MA 02472

January 30 , 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We held several Saturday H1N1 vaccination clinics for school-age children in November and December, and have vaccinated the Middle and High School students at school who signed up for the vaccine.

Now that the vaccine is prevalent, adults can be vaccinated. We vaccinated some teachers before the December break. Also in January and February, parents and community members who want the vaccine can attend a Town clinic. As these adult clinics are scheduled, they will be posted on the Watertown town website and the mass.gov/flu website.

If you have any questions about your child and H1N1 please contact your child’s physician.

We are continuing to flollow the HINIsituation very carefully to stay informed, and we are taking steps to keep our children healthy. We are following the health guidelines of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). If you have questions about H1N1 for your child, please consult with you pediatrician.

Good hygiene is the best defense against transmission of the flu - seasonal and H1N1. During the first week of school. nurses and teachers reviewed these practices with all the children. Please help by reinforcing these practices at home. Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water, avoid touching their nose, mouth and eyes, and practice cough etiquette by coughing or sneezing into there are, not their hands. If they have flu like symptoms please keep them home and avoid contact with others. If your child has a fever, they should not return to school until they are fever-free with no medication for at least 24 hours.

We will continue to post information on the district website: www.watertown.k12.ma.us and also direct your attention to www.flu.gov for the latest information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC.

Sincerely,

Ann M. Koufman-Frederick, Ph. D.,
Superintendent