Parents Alerted to Several Cases of Pneumonia at the W. R. Satz School

The following letter was emailed to parents on June 9 via the AlertNow service. It is signed by Superintendent of Schools Barbara Duncan.

Dear Parent,

We have recently had several confirmed cases of pneumonia at the W. R. Satz School.  Although these cases have been treated, it is vital for parents not to be caught off guard by the symptoms of pneumonia.

Pneumonia can be easily spread from person to person.  Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of pneumonia in the Holmdel schools.  We want to keep the schools open to students and functioning in a normal manner during this time.  But, we need your help to do this. 

If pneumonia becomes more severe, we will take additional steps to prevent the spread such as:  conducting active fever and pneumonia symptom screening of students and staff as they arrive at school, making changes to increase the space between people such as moving desks farther apart and postponing class trips, and dismissing students from school at least 7 days if they become sick.

Pneumonia is a general term that refers to an infection of the lungs, which can be caused by a variety of microorganisms, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites.  Pneumonia symptoms occur when small droplets containing theses microorganisms are breathed in after a person suffering from this infection, coughs or sneezes.  When this happens, symptoms of pneumonia often begin after 2 or 3 days of a cold or sore throat.

The most common symptoms of pneumonia are:

• Cough (with some pneumonias you may cough up greenish or yellow mucus, or even bloody mucus)
• Fever, which may be mild or high
• Shaking chills
• Shortness of breath (may only occur when you climb stairs)

Additional symptoms include:

• Sharp or stabbing chest pain that gets worse when you breathe deeply or cough
• Headache
• Excessive sweating and clammy skin
• Loss of appetite, low energy, and fatigue
• Confusion, especially in older individuals

Sometimes a child's only symptom is rapid breathing. Sometimes when the pneumonia is in the lower part of the lungs near the abdomen, there may be no breathing problems, but there may be fever and abdominal pain or vomiting.

When pneumonia is caused by bacteria, an infected child usually becomes sick relatively quickly and experiences the sudden onset of high fever and unusually rapid breathing. When pneumonia is caused by viruses, symptoms tend to appear more gradually and are often less severe than in bacterial pneumonia. Wheezing may be more common in viral pneumonia.

Some types of pneumonia cause symptoms that give an important clue about which germ is causing the illness. For example, in older kids and adolescents, pneumonia due to Mycoplasma (also called walking pneumonia) is notorious for causing a sore throat and headache in addition to the usual symptoms of pneumonia.

Because pneumonia can be serious, please contract your child’s physician as soon as possible if you have a persistent cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fever — especially a lasting fever of 102 F (39 C) or higher with chills and sweating. Also contact your doctor if you suddenly feel worse after a cold or the flu.  Be especially prompt about seeking medical care if your child has an injury or is taking medication that may suppress their immune system.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school nurse, Mrs. Denton at (732) 946-1808 or your own personal physician.

Sincerely,

Barbara Duncan,

Superintendent of Schools