EEE Virus Information

September 4, 2007

Due to the recent incident of a Newfields' student, who is a member of the Cooperative Middle School, contracting the EEE virus, SAU 16 is issuing a press release regarding the precautions that are in place in all of the SAU 16 Schools.

The thoughts and prayers of the staff and students of SAU 16 are with the family from Newfields. Given this recent development, it is the belief of SAU 16 that one of our responsibilities is keeping our students and staff informed about their safety and how to maximize precautions with this virus. As a part of this education, the SAU 16 physician, Dr. Steven Loh, notes that it is important to relate to parents, staff and students the rarity of this illness. According to the Center for Disease Control Fact Sheet (www.cdc.gov), there have been only approximately 220 nationwide cases of this illness between 1964 and 2004. Dr. Loh further states that the current recommendations from the New Hampshire Department of Public Health (www.dhhs.nh.gov) of spraying staff and students with an approved insecticide (containing DEET) prior to outdoor activity (both home and school) is essential along with keeping students away from swampy areas and limiting outdoor exposure between dusk and dawn.

The following precautions are in effect immediately in all of the SAU 16 Schools:

• Perimeter areas of all schools have or are in the process of being sprayed. The spraying will continue until the first hard frost.
• All outside activities on school properties will cease at 6:30 PM.
• All EHS night athletic contests will be rescheduled to afternoon until further notice.
• Parents are urged to spray their children using mosquito repellants that contain 30 % or less DEET (10% DEET is recommended for children) prior to coming to school.
• Students participating in outside after school activities will be offered repellants prior to participation. If the students choose not to be sprayed, they will not be allowed to participate.
• Until further notice, the Exeter High School Cross Country and Science Trails, along with the Cooperative Middle School Rope course will be closed.
• The K-5 Principals will send a newsletter home to parents regarding these precautions and the Cooperative Middle School, Exeter High School, EHS Alternative Ed Program and the Great Bay eLearning Charter School will use the AlertNow system to notify parents.

This website (www.sau16.org) will be updated as further measures and information are available.

Dr. Arthur L. Hanson Superintendent of Schools

Mosquito Spray Information (pdf)