Student Health Services

Ramie McMahon, RN, BSN Student Health Services Coordinator

raemalee_mcmahon@msd.k12.wi.us 

Phone:  715-232-1642 x40101  Cell:  715-440-0213  Pager:  1-888-972-2056

Welcome!

 January 2012

Dear Dunn County Parents/Students/Staff,

 The Dunn County Health Department wants school staff and parents of children to know that pertussis disease is at increased levels in Wisconsin and there are confirmed cases of pertussis in our community. Children ages under 1 year and ages 10-14 years have been the ages most affected. Pertussis is also most serious in infants and preschoolers who are behind schedule or have not received any DTaP vaccine. Please be sure your children are up to date with their required doses and siblings and caregivers of young children should also be vaccinated for pertussis.

Pertussis is spread through direct contact with someone that is sick with a cough. It starts with cold like symptoms with a persistent cough or cough that gets much worse over 1-2 weeks.

We always recommend if you/your child are ill, stay home and seek medical advice/schedule an appointment with your regular provider. We want to remind you there are many ways to prevent the spread of illness among students and families:

• Stay home if you are sick with a fever, until the fever is gone for 24 hours and you don’t need medicine to keep the fever down. Call the school and tell them that your child is out with a fever.  Treat the symptoms and avoid aspirin.


• If symptoms worsen, call your health care provider.


• Stay home if you have symptoms of vomiting/diarrhea, until the symptoms are gone for 24 hours. Call school and tell them that your child is out ill.  If symptoms worsen, call your health care provider.


• Don’t share drinking cups, bites of food, water bottles, chapstick, etc.


• There are many diseases in addition to pertussis and influenza that are vaccine preventable. Immunize your children to keep them healthy. Get a flu shot for yourself and your child, this keeps other people healthy too. Each member of your family should be up-to-date with their vaccinations.


• Be careful about food preparation so you don’t cause disease.


• Cover your cough with your elbow/sleeve, so you don’t spread germs by touching things with your hands after you have coughed on them.


• Wash your hands-Wash your hands-Wash your hands-Wash your hands. Use hand gel when away from soap and warm water for hand washing.

You can contact your medical provider to schedule a time to get up to date with your shots, or call the health department at 232-2388 to make an appointment

Best regards, 

Wendy MacDougall, RN, MSN, APNP

Director/Health Officer