West Nile Offers Lessons in Communicable Diseases

By Kathy Karsting, RN, Health Services Coordinator
This column first appeared in the November 2002 issue of Lincoln Public Schools Free Times.
Reprinted with permission.

This year in Lincoln, we have all learned about West Nile Virus. From the local press, you probably are aware that this is a mosquito-borne fever illness. It results in mild to moderate symptoms with recovery in most humans, but with the potential for more severe outcomes, even death, for the elderly or ill. We also know that infected animals, including birds and horses, provide a source for the infection, which is carried to humans by the mosquitoes.

How does the district respond to communicable disease events in our community and in our schools?

One of the goals and functions of the Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) health services program is to control the spread of communicable disease at school. This work takes various forms, depending on the condition, the means by which the disease spreads, and the implications for our school-aged population.

In the case of West Nile Virus, the district's response has been multi-level.

When we look at the school population and setting, and compare them to the situation in the greater community, there are no specific risks or hazards posed for school children different from the community's general population. We note that children and adolescents are NOT the population considered to be at risk for severe infection, yet we also keep in mind that we have chronically ill students with us, as well as adult staff members.

The district has worked in partnership with local health and community officials to identify and remove sources of standing water that potentially provide breeding sites for mosquitoes.

School health staff members also have received additional information from the health department concerning symptoms of West Nile Virus, and have reviewed the precautions (use of insect repellent, staying indoors, or wearing protective clothing during mosquito feeding periods) recommended by local health officials for all community members.

Despite the fact that West Nile Virus has occupied the headlines of late, there are other communicable disease concerns that the district confronts and deals with on a more frequent basis.

Individual reports of communicable disease among students and staff are handled promptly and discreetly by the school health staff. If the condition is one that is directly transmissible between individuals at school, we consider whether others were exposed at school and what precautions or notifications are necessary.

We use current communicable disease references to provide information about how long a person with a condition is infectious to others and about appropriate precautions.

The school health staff communicate with local communicable disease specialists concerning their recommendations.

The role of the school nurse is to identify persons who are infectious to others and exclude them from school for the safety of all others present. Other times, we identify significant members of persons affected by the condition (for example, diarrheal illness or respiratory illness), and work within the schools and with communicable disease specialists to identify and eliminate possible causes. At all times, the privacy and confidentiality of individuals who are ill are protected.

Another important way that school health staff control the spread of communicable diseases is by assuring that each child is properly immunized according to state law. School nurses and health staff take seriously their duties to do everything necessary to prevent disease in our schools.