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Farrell B. Howell ECE-8 School

Respiratory Announcement

11/15/22, 2:24 PM

Hello Farrell B Howell Family,

I wanted to share that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has announced that there have been over 554 RSV-associated hospitalizations between Oct. 1, 2022- Nov. 5, 2022 in the Denver-metro area. As of today, there have been 200 confirmed RSV outbreaks in childcare and school settings statewide. Hospitals and resources are getting overwhelmed at this time, as RSV cases are surpassing COVID and influenza cases, although all three are on the rise.

CDPHE and Children's Hospital Colorado strongly encourages the enhancement of respiratory infection control practices in childcare settings, including:

72-hour exclusion from onset of symptoms for children and staff with new respiratory illness (note: this is a change from current guidance as those with RSV infection may not have fever).
Consider masks for everyone 2 years and older, especially for staff with any, even mild, respiratory symptoms.
Consider masks for all staff in facilities where respiratory illness is circulating.
Encourage annual flu vaccinations as well as all recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Anyone 6 months and older can get vaccinated for flu and COVID-19. It is safe to get the vaccines together. There is currently no vaccine for RSV.
Reminders to cover your coughs and sneezes.
Increased handwashing. Wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or with hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol. Assist young children with handwashing and keep handwashing sinks stocked with soap and paper towels.
Avoid touching faces with unwashed hands.
Increase cleaning and disinfection of commonly touched surfaces and shared toys (toys and other surfaces that a child may mouth should be rinsed after disinfection before they are returned to children).
If families are not concerned about a life-threatening emergency, encourage families to see or call a health care provider or doctor when their child has respiratory symptoms. Health care providers can help parents determine the best ways to manage a child’s symptoms and when it is important to be seen in the clinic, urgent care, or emergency department.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. Let's continue to keep our kids and learning environment safe for all.

For more information regarding information, sources, or questions:

https://cdphe.colorado.gov/flu-rsv

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o38P_b6NFaoQQiM4__mZm0eAVg7f4uMJ/view

Thank you,

Nurse Denise