By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
In the wake of the death of a Hamilton Township child from Enterovirus-D68, Lawrence Township school district officials are taking steps to help to prevent the disease from spreading into the public school district.
At last week’s Lawrence Township Board of Education meeting, Superintendent of Schools Crystal Edwards said she wanted to share with the community what the district is doing to keep the children as safe as possible.
"The best method, as always, is preventive. We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to use good safety habits," Ms. Edwards said. To that end, children and staff members are being educated on those measures.
A set of "frequently asked questions" prepared by the state Department of Health has been handed out to parents and staff, Erin Servillo, the school district’s director of student services, told the school board. The FAQ sheet also has been posted on the school district’s website, in its Quicknews online newsletter and on its Facebook page.
The most common symptoms, according to the FAQ, are a runny nose, sneezing, cough, body and muscle aches, and sometimes a fever. Severe symptoms include difficulty breathing, wheezing and worsening of asthma. There is no vaccine to prevent it, and there are no medications specifically for EV-D68.
There are more than 100 types of enteroviruses. Most people who are infected with the virus, which is a common one, do not have symptoms or have mild symptoms. EV infections are more likely to occur in the summer and fall. A diagnosis of EV-D68 can only be made by laboratory testing of samples sent to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.
Among the steps that can be taken to prevent the spread of illnesses are washing one’s hands frequently, and avoid touching one’s eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or elbow, and throw away the tissue, the FAQ advised.
Avoid kissing, hugging or sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys, doorknobs and computer keyboards. A bleach-based household cleaner should be used, as directed on the product label. Enteroviruses are resistant to alcohol disinfection.
Meanwhile, students are encouraged to stay home if they feel ill, Ms. Servillo said. If a child has a fever, the child should stay home and not return to school until he or she has been fever-free for 24 hours, she said.
Ms. Servillo said special attention is being paid to the pre-school classes, with the goal of teaching the children proper techniques to reduce infection. Children are being taught hand-washing skills, and to use a tissue if they need to sneeze. They are being supervised when they wash their hands, she added.
"The interesting thing about the virus is that (you cannot) kill it with hand sanitizer," Ms. Servillo said. Soap does not kill the virus. It is the friction of washing one’s hands and the water that rinses away the virus that are important, she said.
The children’s toys and their mats are washed daily, Ms. Servillo said.
Business Administrator Thomas Eldridge said the district staff is washing down the bus seats daily, as well as disinfecting the table tops and desk tops. The chemical solutions that the district uses are harsher than those that are used at home, he said.
"It really does boil back down to the behavioral habits that Erin says are the most effective means of preventing the spread of germs," Mr. Eldridge said.
School district officials are keeping tabs on the number of students and staff that call out sick, said Ms. Edwards. It is important for parents to notify their child’s school and to be specific about the symptoms, she said. That specificity will help school district officials track trends in illnesses.
Ms. Edwards said the school district is in constant contact with the Lawrence Township Health Department to monitor what is going on in Lawrence. The students are in school for six or seven hours a day, but "we recognize" that they are out and about in the community, she said.
"We have an obligation to work in concert with the town to make sure our children are very, very safe," Ms. Edwards said, adding that school district officials need to be pro-active.

