Administration of Medication
If parents require medication to be administered to their child at school, they must provide that medication to the school in original packaging which indicates the student’s name and required dosage.
Long term administration of medication
Long-term medication is prescribed or non-prescribed medication that a student is required to take during school hours in response to an ongoing medical condition. Instructions and authorisation for the administration of long-term medication will be recorded in the student’s health care plan.
Short term administration of medication
Parents may request school staff to administer prescribed or non-prescribed medication to students for a short period of time when their child has a condition that does not require a long-term health care plan. For short-term administration of medication, parents should be asked to complete an Administration of Medication form.
Managing Student Health Care
The Student Health Care Summary form is to be completed by all parents prior to enrolment and updated if the student’s health care needs change.
Parents are required to complete the following management/emergency response plans for students with common health care needs:
- Generic health care management/emergency response plan
- Severe allergy/anaphylaxis management plan and emergency response plan
- Mild and moderate allergies management plan and emergency response plan
- Diabetes action and management plans
- Seizure management and emergency response plan
- Asthma management and emergency response plan
Immunisation
Parents are required to provide an AIR (Australian Immunisation Register) history statement at the time of enrolment.
An AIR history statement may be obtained at acir@humanservices.gov.au or by phoning 1800 653 809.
For the current WA Vaccination Schedule go to: www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/immunisation
Sickness and Accidents
In the event of a child being sick or being involved in an accident parents are contacted, if possible. All parents are asked to make sure that the school has a telephone number or an address at which they can be contacted. Information on enrolment cards needs to be kept up to date. Please notify the school of changes in telephone numbers, addresses or emergency contact persons as soon as they occur.
Communicable Diseases
While it is often difficult to prevent the transmission of common respiratory (colds/flu) and gastroenteritis infections that occur, every effort should be made to minimise the spread of infection.
Students who are ill should not to return to school until they are symptom free if they have a cold or flu and for at least 24 hours if they have had gastroenteritis.
Many of the childhood infectious diseases require students to be excluded from school for a recommended period of time; or if they are unable to provide evidence of immunisation against specific diseases that are known to be highly transmissible, they will be excluded.
The following information has been extracted from the Government of Western Australia Department of Health Communicable disease guidelines:
| Chickenpox
(Varicella) |
|
| A common, acute, viral infection. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, and a generalised rash characterised by small vesicles (blisters) that rupture to form crusts. | |
| Transmission | Airborne or droplet; direct or indirect contact with fluid from vesicles of an infected person |
| Incubation period | Average 10–21 days |
| Infectious period | From 2 days before rash appears to 5 days after, when vesicles have formed crusts. See Appendix 1 for immunisation recommendations |
| Exclusion | Exclude for at least 5 days after vesicles (rash) appear and until vesicles have formed crusts. Note that crusts alone do not warrant exclusion |
| Conjunctivitis
(various viruses and bacteria) |
|
| A common, acute, viral or bacterial infection of the eyes. Symptoms include sore, itchy eyes and discharge. | |
| Transmission | Direct or indirect contact with secretions from infected eyes |
| Incubation period | 24–72 hours |
| Infectious period | While eye discharge is present |
| Exclusion | Exclude until discharge from eyes has ceased |
| Treatment | Treatment as recommended by doctor – refer to doctor |
| Diarrhoea
(various viruses, bacteria or parasites, e.g. Campylobacter, Giardia, Norovirus, Salmonella, Shigella) |
|
| A range of common infections of the intestines. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. | |
| Transmission | Faecal-oral, food-borne and animal faecal-oral |
| Incubation period | Hours to days |
| Infectious period | Days to weeks |
| Exclusion | Exclude until 24 hours after diarrhoea has ceased. If ill person works or attends a child care, exclude until 48 hours after diarrhoea has ceased. |
| Treatment | Varies according to symptoms. Antibiotic or antiparasitic treatment as recommended by doctor |
| Glandular fever
(Infectious Mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus) |
|
| A common, acute, viral infection. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, enlarged glands, rash, fatigue. | |
| Transmission | Direct contact with infectious nose or throat secretions (e.g. saliva) |
| Incubation period | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Infectious period | Months |
| Exclusion | Do not exclude |
| Treatment | Varies according to symptoms |
| Prevention | Good hygiene practices, e.g. hand washing to avoid salivory contamination from infected individuals. Avoid kissing on the mouth while unwell, avoid drinking from common container to minimise contact with saliva |
| Hand, foot and mouth disease
(various Enteroviruses, mostly Coxsackievirus) |
|||
| A common, acute, viral infection. Symptoms include fever, vesicles (blisters) in the mouth and on hands and feet. This infection is not related to the Foot and Mouth Disease found in animals. | |||
| Transmission | Airborne or droplet; faecal-oral | ||
| Incubation period | 3 to 7 days | ||
| Infectious period | As long as there is fluid in the vesicles. Faeces remain infectious for several weeks | ||
| Exclusion | Exclude until vesicles have formed crusts that are dry | ||
| Treatment | Varies according to symptoms | ||
| Head lice
(Pediculosis) |
|||
| A common, parasitic infestation of the scalp hair. Symptoms include scratching and the presence of ‘nits’ (eggs) and lice in the scalp hair. | |||
| Transmission | Head-to-head contact with an infested person | ||
| Incubation period | 7 to 10 days | ||
| Infectious period | Until lice and eggs (nits) are killed | ||
| Exclusion | Exclude until after treatment has commenced and live lice removed | ||
| Treatment | http://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/S_T/Treating-head-lice | ||
| Impetigo
(School sores) |
|||
| A common, acute bacterial infection of the skin caused by staphylococcal or streptococcal bacteria. Symptoms include itchy pustules and scabs. | |||
| Transmission | Direct contact with skin lesions | ||
| Incubation period | Usually 4 to 10 days | ||
| Infectious period | As long as there is discharge from untreated lesions | ||
| Exclusion | Exclude for 24 hours after antibiotic treatment commenced. Lesions on exposed skin surfaces should be covered with a waterproof dressing. Young children unable to comply with good hygiene practices should be excluded until the sores are dry | ||
| Treatment | Antibiotic treatment available – refer to doctor | ||
| Influenza
(Flu) |
|||
| A common, acute, respiratory, viral infection. Symptoms include fever, malaise, chills, headache, muscle pain, sore throat and cough. | |||
| Transmission | Airborne or droplet | ||
| Incubation period | Usually 1 to 4 days | ||
| Infectious period | Usually 1 day before onset of symptoms until 7 days after | ||
| Exclusion | Exclude until symptoms resolved | ||
| Treatment | Varies according to symptoms. Antiviral treatment available as recommended by doctor | ||
| Measles
(Morbilli virus) |
|||
| A highly infectious, uncommon, acute, viral infection. Symptoms include lethargy, malaise, cough, sore and swollen eyes and nasal passages, fever and rash – must be confirmed with laboratory testing. | |||
| Transmission | Airborne or droplet | ||
| Incubation period | 8 to 14 days (usually 10 days) | ||
| Infectious period | 24 hours prior to onset of symptoms (e.g. runny nose, cough) until 4 days after the onset of rash. (When symptoms are undefined, infectious period should be considered as 4 days before onset of rash). | ||
| Exclusion | Exclude for 4 days after the onset of the rash, in consultation with public health unit staff | ||
| Treatment | Varies with symptoms | ||
| Mumps | |||
| An uncommon, acute, viral infection. Symptoms include painful, swollen salivary glands, fever, headache, painful testicles or ovaries. | |||
| Transmission | Airborne or droplet; direct contact with saliva from an infected person | ||
| Incubation period | About 12 to 25 days (usually 16 to 18 days) | ||
| Infectious period | 2 days prior to 5 days after parotitis (swollen salivary glands) | ||
| Exclusion | Exclude for 5 days after onset of symptoms. Consult with your public health unit staff | ||
| Treatment | Varies with symptoms | ||
| Parvovirus B19
(Erythema infectiosum, ‘Fifth’ disease, ‘Slapped Cheek’ Syndrome) |
|||
| A common, acute, viral infection. Symptoms include fever, red cheeks and neck, itchy lace-like rash on the body and limbs. This infection is not caused by the same parvovirus that infects dogs. | |||
| Transmission | Airborne or droplet; direct contact with contaminated nose or throat secretions; mother-to-baby | ||
| Incubation period | 1 to 2 weeks | ||
| Infectious period | Not infectious after the rash appears | ||
| Exclusion | Exclusion not necessary | ||
| Treatment | Varies with symptoms | ||
| Pertussis
(Whooping Cough/Bordetella pertussis) |
|||
| A highly contagious, acute, respiratory, bacterial infection. | |||
| Transmission | Airborne or droplet; direct contact with contaminated nose or throat secretions | ||
| Incubation period | About 7 to 10 days | ||
| Infectious period | From onset of runny nose to 3 weeks (21 days) after onset of cough | ||
| Exclusion | Exclude until 5 days after an appropriate antibiotic treatment, or for 21 days from the onset of coughing | ||
| Treatment | Antibiotics as recommended by doctor | ||
| Scabies
(Sarcoptes scabiei) |
|||
| An uncommon, acute, parasitic infection, caused by a mite which burrows beneath the surface of the skin. Symptoms include intense itching between the fingers or on the wrists, elbows, armpits, buttocks and genitalia. | |||
| Transmission | Skin-to-skin contact with an infested person or contact with infested clothing, towels or bedding | ||
| Incubation period | 2 to 6 weeks before onset of itching if not previously infested. People who have been previously infested may develop an itch 1 to 4 days after re-exposure | ||
| Infectious period | Until mites and eggs are destroyed | ||
| Exclusion | Exclude until the day after treatment has commenced | ||
| Treatment | Treatment available – refer to doctor. Bed linen, towels and clothing used in the previous 5 days should be washed in hot water | ||
| Streptococcal infections
(Streptococcus pyogenes) |
|||
| An uncommon, acute, bacterial infection. Diseases include throat and ear infections, Rheumatic Fever, skin infections. Symptoms differ depending on the infection. | |||
| Transmission | Airborne or droplet; direct contact with contaminated nose or throat secretions | ||
| Incubation period | 1 to 3 days | ||
| Infectious period | As long as the bacteria are present in the nose or throat | ||
| Exclusion | Exclude until 24 hours after commencement of antibiotics | ||
| Treatment | Antibiotics as recommended by doctor | ||
| Warts
(Human papillomavirus) |
|||
| A viral skin infection. Various types of wart infect different areas of the body, including the genital area, hands, knees and feet. | |||
| Transmission | Skin-to-skin contact or direct contact with recently contaminated objects and surfaces, e.g. showers, floors, towels and razors | ||
| Incubation period | 1 to 20 months (usually about 4 months) | ||
| Infectious period | As long as warts remain | ||
| Exclusion | Do not exclude | ||
| Treatment | Warts may resolve naturally, but this may take many months. Chemical, thermal or surgical treatment available – refer to doctor | ||