Public Health Info : Healthy Holiday Reminders for Schools and Child Care

Healthy Holiday Reminders for Schools and Childcare 

It is the time of year when many friends, families, and school communities gather to celebrate. To keep everyone healthy and safe, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) would like to remind schools about the most common seasonal illnesses that occur this time of year and about the resources available to prevent the spread of seasonal illnesses.  

Prevent the Spread of Respiratory Viruses like COVID-19, Flu, and RSV: 

During times of seasonal illnesses, schools should expect to see sporadic cases of respiratory illness. NJDOH recommends that schools and childcare monitor students and staff and notify their LHD if they think that they may be experiencing an outbreak. An outbreak may be occurring (i.e., occurrence of disease greater than expected) if: 

• Several children who exhibit similar symptoms are in the same classroom, the same wing of a facility or they attended a common event.  
• There is an increase in school absences with many parents reporting similar symptoms as to why their child is not attending school. 

Detailed information about prevention and control of respiratory outbreaks is outlined in the  Respiratory Virus Guidance for K-12 Schools, Youth Camps, and Early Care and Education Programs document attached. This document and other resources are available on the NJDOH School Health Page.  

Preventing Norovirus: 

Like respiratory viruses, such as flu and RSV, there is some seasonality to norovirus, with most outbreaks occurring November to April. Norovirus can spread quickly from person to person in places such as schools and childcare centers. More information can be found in the attached document Prevention of Norovirus Outbreaks in School and Early Child Education Settings, also available on the NJDOH School Health page.