As the School Based Youth Health Nurse, I work with the school community to promote health and wellbeing, create a supportive, healthy school environment and connect people with other support services. As the weather starts to cool down, we start to hear about influenza, or the flu. The flu is a highly contagious viral infection that infects your upper airways and lungs. It can be present all year round though flu cases usually peak in the winter months.

Symptoms can include:

• A fever
• A sore throat
• A dry cough
• Headaches
• Muscle or joint pain
• Tiredness or exhaustion
• Children are more likely to have nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

You can infect other people from 24 hours before you have any symptoms to a week afterwards.

How can you help prevent the flu:

• Staying home if you’re sick.
• Washing your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitiser.
• Sneezing or coughing into your arm or a tissue and washing your hands after.
• Throw away used tissues and washing your hands after.
• Not sharing anything that may have touched someone else’s mouth or nose, such as cups or lip balm.
• Staying 1.5 metres or 2 big steps away from anyone’s who’s coughing or sneezing.

Most people will get better within a week, but sometimes it can last longer. In some cases, it can cause very serious illness. If your worried about your symptoms and/or have a fever of 38 C or more and isn’t improving, please seek medical advice.

The flu is the most common vaccine preventable disease in Australia. The reason the vaccine is different every year is because the strains change every year. The flu vaccine is free for all Queenslanders aged 6 months and older from March 1^st to September 30^th. You can get the flu vaccine from your GP, pharmacies and other vaccination service providers. For more information you can call 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) or look up further information at https://www.vaccinate.initiatives.qld.gov.au.

PATHWAYS TO CESSASTION

The Pathways to Cessation program is delivered by health professionals at the Queensland Quitline service and combines information and counselling support with a free 12-week supply of nicotine replacement products such as patches, gum, and lozenges. A reminder here at Wilsonton SHS we are working in partnership with Queensland Health, so members of our school community can access a free quit support program for parents, carers, siblings.

If you’d like to find out ‘what to expect from Quitline’ or request a call visit the QuitHQ website at https://www.quithq.initiatives.qld.gov.au/how-to-quit/get-help-from-quitline. Students can access the program by contacting Quitline directly.

Also don’t forget to be SUNSAFE, wear a hat and put on sunscreen and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Angela Kain
School Based Youth Health Nurse
Working Mon, Tues, Wed & every second Thursday based in the Support Hub