HEALTH INFORMATION

IMMUNISATION

The Department of Education fully supports the Health Department of WA in ensuring that children entering school are fully immunised, particularly against measles, mumps, diphtheria, tetanus and polio. (Please note that when measles are confirmed at school, children not immunised will be excluded for 14 days).

MEDICATION

Medication cannot be administered without a Student Medication Request / Record form having been filled out by a child’s parent and doctor. These are available at the office for parents and it is essential that any medication be brought to the office at the beginning of the school day. By regulation, teachers are no longer permitted to administer any un-prescribed drugs, e.g. Panadol, Disprin.

Under no circumstances should a child’s medication remain in their school bag. 

COMMON ILLNESSS

Children who are unwell need to be kept at home. This is the best place for recovering and does not place other students or staff at risk. The following exclusion times from school are recommended for common diseases, as taken from Department of Education regulations:

CHICKEN POX – Where no medical certificate is available, re-admit after 7 days if well.

MUMPS – Where no medical certificate is available re-admit after 14 days.

RINGWORM – Re-admit on medical certificate that the child is no longer likely to convey the infection.

RUBELLA – Where no medical certificate is available, re-admit when there are no longer symptoms.

SCABIES – Exclude until examined and found non-infected.

WHOOPING – Where no medical certificate is available, exclude for 4 weeks from COUGH onset of whoop.

IMPETIGO (School Sores) – Where no medical certificate is available admit if under treatment.

PEDICULOSIS (Head Lice) – Exclude from school until treated and all lice and nits have been removed. Head lice information is available for treatment. 

Treating Head Lice

PAROVIRUS (Slapped Cheek Syndrome) – Spread by exposure to airborne droplets from the nose and mouth of infected people. Contagious a week prior to the rash appearing. No specific treatment required.

CONJUNCTIVITIS – Exclude from school until discharge from eye has ceased.

MEASLES (MEASLES VIRUS) – *NOTIFIABLE

Transmission: Spray or droplet infection, or indirectly through articles freshly soiled by discharges from nose or throat of infected person.

Incubation period: 7 to 21 days (usually 10 to 14 days).

Period of communicability: From 5 days after the appearance of the rash.

Exclusion from school: Exclude; re-admit on medical certificate of recovery, or at least 4 days after appearance.

Contacts: Do not exclude immunised contacts. (All children should be immunised against measles, preferably at 12 months of age and certainly before entry into preschool or day care centre unless they have had the disease). Non-immunised contacts should be excluded for 14 days after the appearance of the rash in the last case identified in the school, unless contact was immunised within 72 hours of first exposure.

Immunisation: Measles / Mumps / Rubella vaccine from 12 months of age.