helloHello, Kia Ora, Malo e Lelei, Talofa Lava We are pleased to welcome you to another issue of Public Health News. We hope that the health and wellbeing information we provide in these newsletters can be shared with ECE staff, families/whanau and caregivers through your own centre newsletter and noticeboard, or through copies being sent home. Based on previous feedback we will be posting a paper copy of Public Health News to all ECE services in our region. If you need more than one copy please email Louise at the address below or call us at the Public Health Unit on 06 350 9110 and speak to David Hillary, or a Health Protection Officer.

In this issue:

• Alittlebitaboutus–findoutwhatPublicHealthServicesHealthPromotionAdvisorsdointhecommunityandatECEservices

• TheBRUSHINproject• OutandAbout–inthisissueweseeiMovesinactionat

ParklandKindergarten• What’sOn?Communityeventscomingup.• Measles• Fluvaccination• Exclusionofsickchildrenandstaff• Healthyeatingtipsforyoungchildren• TheNationalImmunisationSchedule• Heatingandventilationatyourcentre• Winterillsandchills• Topicalhealthissues.

newsPublic Health NEWSIssue 4

MidCentral Health Region June 2011

Health and wellbeing information for early childhood education staff, parents, caregivers and whanau

Public Health Service job profile

Health Promotion Advisors

TheMidCentralPublicHealthServiceemploysanumberofHealthPromotionAdvisors.SharonVera,HealthPromotionCoordinator,describeshealthpromotionas“theprocessofenablingpeopletoincreasecontrolovertheirhealthandwhatcontributestogoodhealthsuchashousing,income,education,employment,andtransport.”Healthpromotersassistandsupportcommunitiestodevelopandmaintainenvironmentsthatencouragegoodhealthandhavefocusonreducinginequalitiesinhealthstatus.Theyworkwiththesocialandphysicalenvironmentsinwhichwelive,love,workandplay,aswellasonprogrammestodevelopmorehealthyactivitiesandlifestyles.

HealthPromotionAdvisors:(backLtoR)MartinMacmaster,NigelFitzpatrick,PaulineBrown,NicciKuiti,ChristineRiddy,SarahPoreandSharonVera(frontLtoR)MiriamaKereamaandNirmalaNand.

”“The early years of life provide a crucial foundation for future health and

wellbeing.The Determinants of Health for Children and Young People in MidCentral –

MidCentral DHB 2009.

a littleA little bit about us Sharondescribeshealthpromotionworkas“workinginaholisticwaytakingintoaccountthephysical,emotionalandspiritualaspectsofwellbeing.Thisincludeshelpingcommunities,workplaces,schools,earlychildhoodeducationservicesandwhanautounderstandhowtheirrelationshipwiththeirenvironmentsaffectstheirhealth.”

HealthPromotionAdvisorsadvocateforhealthypublicpolicyinnationalandlocalGovernment,theeducationsectorandworkplaces.

HealthPromotionprojectswithinearlychildhoodeducationincludephysicalactivity,nutrition,injuryprevention,increasingparentsknowledgeofwellchildmessagesandSmokefreepromotion.

Pleaseemailanycommentsaboutthenewsletter,andideasforfuturearticles(includinghealthandwellbeinginitiativesyourcentrewouldliketoshare)to:louise.allen@midcentraldhb.govt.nz

fluThe 2011 influenza vaccine protects against the strain of pandemic (H1N1) influenza that circulated in 2010 and other strains of influenza that are expected to circulate in 2011.

Adultsandchildrenwhomeetthefollowingcriteriaareeligibleforfreeinfluenzavaccination,duetoahighriskofdevelopingcomplicationsiftheyweretogetpandemicinfluenza:• arepregnant• areaged65yearsorover• havecardiovasculardisease(ischaemicheartdisease,

congestiveheartfailure,rheumaticheartdisease,congenitalheartdiseaseandcerebrovasculardisease)

• havechronicrespiratorydisease(asthmaifonregularpreventivetherapy;otherchronicrespiratorydiseasewithimpairedlungfunction)

• havediabetes• havechronicrenaldisease• haveanycancer,excludingbasalandsquamousskin

cancersifnotinvasive• haveotherconditions(autoimmunedisease,

immunesuppression,HIV,transplantrecipients,neuromuscularandcentralnervoussystemdisease,haemaglobinopathies,childrenonlongtermaspirin).

Additionallythefollowinggroups,whilenoteligibleforfreeinfluenzavaccination,maypotentiallybeatincreasedriskofcomplicationsiftheyweretogetpandemicinfluenza,andshoulddiscussvaccinationwiththeirGPorhealthprovider:• youngchildren(particularlyMāoriandPacific)• morbidlyobesepersons.

Checkwithyourgeneralpracticeifyouareuncertainaboutwhetheryou,oryourchildren,qualifyforafreevaccination.Ifyoudon’tqualifytherewillbeasmallcharge.

For more information:Call:0800 IMMUNE (466863) Txt:FLU to 515 Visit:www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/influenza-a-h1n1-2010-programmes

outOut And About

iMove sparks kindergarten activity

ParklandKindergartenisworkingcloselywithSportManawatutopromotephysicalactivitybypilotingtheiMoveprogrammeforchildrenunderfive.TheiMoveSchoolsandiMoveWorkplaceinitiativescurrentlyinplaceencouragepeopletogetactivebywalking,cyclingorskateboardinginsteadoftakingthecar.

JoEllery,ateacheratParklandKindergarten,said,“we’reintroducingtheprogrammetogetchildrenandtheirfamiliesmoving”.

EachchildwillhavehisorherowniMovecard,whichwillbestampedeverytimethatchildmakesanactivetriptokindergarten.

ChildrenhavebeenparticipatinginsmallgroupoutingstopracticesafewalkingaccompaniedbySportManwatu’sFelicityMastersandMarionMoore.

TheyalsoboardedabustoAshhurstDomainrecently,wheretheytookpartinafundayofactivemovementwithteachers,parentsandManawatuStu.

ChildrenenjoyedplayingontheAshhurstDomainplaygroundandMsMooreorganisedgames,encouragingbothchildrenandparentstogetinvolved.

Activemovementisfundamentalforthehealthydevelopmentofachild’sbrainandbody.It’ssoimportanttokeepactiveandtheiMoveprogrammeisprovingagreatwaytopromotethisatParklandKindergarten.

Flu vaccination could be free for you

An oral health pilot project “Brush In” is underway at Taitoko Kindergarten in Horowhenua . The idea came from a series of meetings held about improving oral health and was organised by the Levin Early Years Hub last year. The pilot, launched on 17th August 2010, is

a collaborative effort by Levin Early Years Service, Taitoko Kindergarten, MidCentral Public Health Services, MidCentral Child and Adolescent Oral Health Services and Levin Rotary Club.

Theaimoftheprojectistoraiseawarenessaboutoralhealthamongstchildrenandtheirfamilies/whanauandforchildrentolearnabouthealthyteeththroughregularbrushing.OneofthereasonsTaitokoKindergartenwaschosenforthepilotstudywasbecauseofHorowhenua’sbadoralhealthrecordasidentifiedbyLevinEarlyYearsHub.

Theprogramisrunwiththefullsupportoftheteacherswhooverseethebrushingofchildren’steethaftertheirlunchtimebreak.Eachchildreceivesanamedtoothbrushwithappropriatecovercapandeachtoothbrushisstoredinaspecialcontainertopreventcrossinfection.Rotaryhavehelpedwithfundingtoprovidetoothpasteandtoothbrushes.Toothbrushesarereplacedonaregularbasiswiththeusedtoothbrushsenthomeforfurtheruse.

Theprojectisasimpleevidencebasedlowcostwaytomakeadifferencetotheoralhealthofyoungpeople.Itisenvisagedthatwiththesupportoffamily/whanau,thatearlyoralhygienepracticeswillbeestablishedandthatthiswillbereflectedinthereductioninthenumberofcaries(toothdecay).Itishopedthatotherearlychildhoodproviderswillpickupthe“BrushIn”projectorsimilarprojectnceevaluated.

theThe BRUSH IN project

This section of our newsletter provides an opportunity for ECE services to showcase the health and wellbeing initiatives that staff and children have been involved in. Thank you to the Ruahine Kindergarten Association for kindly providing the following article. We would love to hear from you if you have something you would like to share in the Out and About section in future issues. Go on, let everyone know about the fun that is happening at your centre! You can email your stories to louise.allen@midcentraldhb.govt.nz.

WehadarequestfromanECEserviceregardingtheNationalImmunisationSchedulesowehaveprovidedtheSchedulebelow.TheNationalImmunisationScheduleisreviewedeverytwoyearsandmaychangeasnew,moreeffectivevaccinesbecomeavailable.TheImmunisationHandbook2011willbeavailableonlinethismonth-seewww.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/immunisation-schedule.

measlesMeaslesMeasles is a serious, and highly infectious viral disease spread by coughing and sneezing. Dr Rob Weir, Medical Officer of Health, Public Health Service says “In 2009 measles was widespread in the Christchurch community. The first case was an unimmunised 16 year old girl who was diagnosed in June. By early August there had been 96 cases diagnosed. MMR (measles, mumps and rubella vaccine) was given to unimmunised people within 72 hours of being in contact with those affected.”

“LettersweresenttoschoolsandpreschoolsviatheMinistryofHealthandMinistryofEducationadvisingwhattodo,includingaskingunimmunisedchildrentostayhomefor14daysafterexposuretoacase.”

“ByearlyOctobertherehadbeen126confirmedmeaslescases,43probablemeaslescases,including17whowereseriousenoughtobehospitalised.”

DrWeirsaysthat“theMidCentralDHBregionhasnothadanylaboratoryconfirmedmeaslescasesnotifiedbymedicalpractitionerssince2004andwewouldliketokeepourregionmeasles-free.Immunisationisthebestwaytopreventmeasles.Twodosesofthemeaslesvaccineis99%effectiveinpreventingmeasles.ThenationalimmunisationscheduleprovidesforchildrentohavethefreeMMRimmunisationat15monthsandagainat4years.”

Earlychildhoodeducationstaffarerecommendedtoensurethattheyhaveimmunitytomeasles,mumpsandrubella(MMR),hepatitisA,polioandchickenpox.TheMMRimmunisationandpoliovaccineareprovidedfreeofchargetosusceptibleadults.Peoplebornpre1969arehighlylikelytohavepre-existingimmunitywhichcanbeconfirmedwithabloodtest.

theThe National Immunisation Schedule topicalTopical Health Issues

The National Immunisation Schedule

Age Diseases covered and Vaccines6weeks Diphtheria/Tetanus/WhoopingCough

/Polio/HepB/Haemophilusinfluenzatypeb(knownasHexa)/Pneumococcal

3months Hexa/Pneumococcal5months Hexa/Pneumococcal15months Hexa/Measles/Mumps/Rubella/

Pneumococcal4years Diphtheria/Tetanus/WhoopingCough/

Polio/Measles/Mumps/Rubella11years Diphtheria/Tetanus/WhoopingCough12yearsgirlsonly

HumanPapillomavirus3dosesgivenover6months

DuringMarchPublicHealthServicestaffreceivedreportsfromseveralECEservicesregardinganincreaseofchildrenwithimpetigo(schoolsores).AnimpetigofactsheetwasemailedtoallECEservicesandwereceivedfeedbackthatthiswashelpful.ThePublicHealthServicehasdevelopedfactsheetswhichcoverallofthecommoninfectiousdiseaseswhichcanbesharedwithfamilies/whanau.FormoreinformationontheseyoucancontactaHealthProtectionOfficeron063509110.

With winter weather here some careful thought given to heating can make teaching and childcare environments, as well as the home environment, much more comfortable and safe. Adequate heating is important for keeping good health too. Effective heating (and ventilation) can help to combat many of the winter infections and conditions which affect children and adults, such as colds and flu. The Ministry of Education licensing criteria require that rooms used by

children are kept at a comfortable temperature no lower than 16°C while children are attending. The World Health Organisation recommends that inside spaces are heated to a temperature of at least 18°C.

exclusionExclusion

Illness can spread very easily among children and staff in ECE services because they contain large numbers of people in close proximity for extended periods of time. Exclusion is one of the essential controls in preventing the spread of illness, along with good hand washing/hand drying by staff and children, effective cleaning of the centre environment, and isolation of sick children.

TheMinistryofHealthInfectiousDiseasecardsandpostersareagreatresourceforassessingexclusionwhenthecauseofillnesshasbeendiagnosedbutoftenwhenachildorstaffmemberbecomesillthecauseisnotknown.Itmayappearmild,mayormaynotbeinfectious,andmaynothavebeendiagnosedbyadoctor.

Whenitcomestogastroenteritis(gastro)symptoms(diarrhoeaandvomiting),weknowthatmostgastroillnessandoutbreaksinthecommunityarecausedbyviruses(suchasnorovirusandrotavirus).Viralillnessesareoftendifficulttocontainandcanspreadveryeasily.AsageneralrulethePublicHealthServicerecommendsthatchildren,staffmembersandparentswithdiarrhoeaand/orvomiting(2ormoretimesintheprevious24hours)remainawayfromthecentreuntiltheyarewellandtheyhavebeenfreefromsymptomsfor48hours.‘Staff’members”includeteachers,cooks,cleaners,officestaffandmanagement.

Teachersandparentsbothsharetheresponsibilityforcreatingahealthyenvironmentforthechildren.ManyoftheECEservices

wesupportstruggletogetsomeparentstocomplywiththe48hoursexclusionperiod.Itcanbedifficultforparentsandcaregiverstounderstandthatachild,whoappearstohaverecoveredortobeonlymildlyill,muststayawaytoprotectothers.Thiscanbeespeciallydifficultifparentshavealreadybeenawayfromworkforanumberofdays.ECEstaffandmanagementareoftencaughtinthemiddleandcanfindthesesituationsstressful.

Wehavedevelopedawrittenresourceaimedtoprovideinformationtostaffandparents/caregivers/whanauaboutpreventingthespreadofillnessandtheneedforexclusion.Ifyouwouldlikeacopy,pleasecontactaHealthProtectionOfficeratthePublicHealthUniton063509110.

heatingHeating and Ventilation

Here are some heating and ventilation reminders:

• Heatingappliancesshouldbeincapableofburningchildrenorbeinaccessibletothem.

• Heatingappliancesandanyattachedcablesorotherfittings,needtobesecurelyfixedinplace.

• Preferredheatersatearlychildhoodservicesarethosethatarepermanentlywiredandwallmountedaboveachild’sreach.

• Theuseofun-fluedgasheatersisstronglydiscouraged,bothatECEservicesandathome.Thesereleaselargeamountsofmoisturewhichrapidlybuildsupleadingtothegrowthofmouldsanddustmites,whichcanimpactonthehealthandwellbeingofchildrenandadults.Thereisalsothedangerofasphyxiationfromusingthisformofheatinginanunventilatedareaandtheadversehealthimpactsofinhalingnitrogenoxides.

• Havingawellinsulatedbuildingcanhelptoprovideanadequateandcontrolledinteriortemperature.

• Rememberindoorfreshairventilationofallroomsinthecentreusedbychildrenisneededincoldweathertoo,andisanimportantsafeguardfromillness.Thismaybeeitherthroughopenwindows(toprovidecrossventilation)orthroughmechanicalsystems.

Winter is now upon us and along with it usually comes an increase in coughs, colds, runny noses and the flu. Coughing and sneezing produce respiratory droplets which can easily spread illness among children and adults who are in close contact. These infected droplets can float in the air

and land on other people and surfaces.

Tokeepeveryonefitandwellatyourcentreitisimportanttoprotectthoseattendingfrominfectiousillnesses.Thereareafewsimple,buteffectivemeasurestohelppreventthespreadoftheserespiratoryillnessesintheECEenvironment:

• Childrenandstaffshouldstayawayfromthecentreuntiltheyarewellandfreeofsymptoms.

• Handhygieneisoneofthemosteffectivewaystoreducethespread.Promotehandhygienemessagesatyourcentreandensurechildrenaresupervisedwhentheyarewashinganddryingtheirhands.

• Itisalsorecommendedthatchildrenareencouragedtopracticegoodcoughandsneezeetiquette.Thismeanscoughingorsneezingintoyourelboworpreferablycoveringyournoseandmouthwithatissuewhencoughingorsneezingandthendisposingofthetissueinalinedrubbishbinorplasticbag.

• RegularcleaninginECEservicesisevenmoreimportantatthistime.

TheMinistryofHealthInfectiousDiseasecardandposterwhichliststheexclusionperiodsforchildrenatearlychildhoodservicesdoesnotstateanexclusionperiodforthecommoncoldandcoughs.However,informationfromyourcentresinfectiousdiseasepolicyandNgaKupuOranga(page18)canbehelpfulforparent,family/whanauandcaregiverstoassessachildpriortoattending,andforstafftoassessachildduringthesession.

winterWinter Ills And Chills

healthyHealthy eating tips for childrenMany ECE services provide food, ranging from snacks to full cooked meals. “5+ A Day” is the general rule of thumb to ensure an adequate intake of fruit and vegetables for every individual including children under five. “5+ A Day” includes 2+ of fruit and 3+ of vegetables eaten everyday in amounts to suit your nutritional requirements. The amount you require is usually only a handful. Children will obviously have smaller hands and thus need smaller amounts.

Thechallengeishowtoenticechildrentoeatfruitandvegetables.Thesimpleansweristogetchildrenusedtoeatingthemwhentheyareyoung.Foodhabitsarelearnedandacquired.Thesoonertheybuildatasteforthemthebetteritwillbefortheirhealthandthelongerthathabitwilllast-hopefullyfortheirlifetime.

Aschildrengetolderencouragethemhelpandgetinvolvedingrowingandpreparingfood,settingtables,andeatingtogetherasfamilies/whanau.Themoretheygettheopportunitytobeinvolvedwithfood,thebetterattitudetheyarelikelytodevelopandkeep.

Someideastoincludefruit&vegetablesinmealsandsnacksforchildren:

• Addcookedpumpkin,carrotstomashedpotatoesorkumaraandblendittogetherwithotherfoodslikemashedeggsormince

• Addkumaraorpureedcauliflowertothickenstews• Spreadpeanutbutter,vegemite,cheese,mashedegg

ontoast• Addchoppedvegetableslikebroccoli,spinach,

tomatoes,andsweetpepperstoomelettesorscrambledeggs

• Rollasliceofwholemealbreadaroundaripebanana• Blendbananasberries,apples,pears,kiwifruitwithmilk

oryoghurt• Addmashedbananasorgratedapplesandpearsto

cookedporridge• Combinecolouredfruit&vegetablesinabowltogether

withotherfoods–e.g.green/redgrapes,piecesofapples,pears,kiwifruits,orange,mandarinpieces,withcheesecubesetc.

LindaatthePublicHealthInformationResourceCentre,phone3504560,hasloadsofhealthyeating,nutrition,lunchboxideas,and“5+ADay”resourcesforECEservices(toaidmenuplanning),andforfamilies.Youcanalsovisitwww.5aday.co.nzforrecipesandtips–thereisevenafun“ForKids”sectiononthewebsite.

PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES MidCentralHealthPrivateBag11036PalmerstonNorth4442

Health Protection Officers Health Promotion AdvisorsPublicHealthUnitCommunityHealthVillagePalmerstonNorthHospitalPhone063509110Fax063509111

Public Health Nurses Vision & Hearing Technicians Health Information Resource Centre575MainStreetPalmerstonNorthPhone063504560or0800153042Fax063504561

Child & Adolescent Oral HealthRimuHouseCommunityHealthVillagePalmerstonNorthHospitalPhone063508619or08008255833

contactContact Details

what’sWhat’s On?World Smoke Free Day DoyouknowthatTuesdayMay31stisWorldSmokefreeDay(WSFD)?Whatdoesthatmean?WSFDisaninternationallyrecognizeddaywherebypeopleallovertheworldareencouragedandassistedtoQuitSmoking.ManypeoplelocallyhaveusedWSFDtoquitwhichmeanstheywillbearoundlongerfortheirfamily/whanauespeciallytheirgrandchildren/mokopuna.

Themessageisclear-“kidsdowhatyoudo”.Quittingsmokingmeansyouarenolongerrolemodellingsmokingtoyourfamily/whanauandyourchildrenarenolongerbreathinginsecondhandsmoke.SomepeoplehavealsousedWSFDtotakestepstowardsmakingtheircarand/orhouse“smokefreezones”.

Pleaseremembersmokingtobaccoisaserioushealthhazard.Tobaccoistheonlyproductthatwhenusedasdirectedwillkill.Socomeonpeople“Givequittingago!”Doitforyourfamily/whanauandleteveryonereapthebenefits.

Earlychildhoodcentrescanplaytheirparttooandsupportquitattemptsbypromotingsmokefreemessagesintheirnewslettersandbyendorsingthemessageinandaroundtheircentre.

Matariki Whanau Health Day ‘WhanauOra’–Atimetocelebratewellness.ThiseventisattheHighburyShoppingCentreonThursday9thJune,11am–4pm.Therewillbedisplaysbyhealthandcommunityservicesprovidingsupport&informationforahealthylife.

Pio Terei ParentlinearebringingPioTereitoPalmerstonNorthtospeakfrom7.30-9pmonTuesday28thJune.Pioisanentertainingspeakerandencouragesparents/caregiverstoengagepositivelywithchildrenandyoungpeople.TicketsareavailableatD’ZineFurniture@$15each.

PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATION RESOURCE CENTRE 575MainStPalmerstonNorthPhone063504560Fax3504561Emailpublic.health.info@midcentraldhb.govt.nz

HealthHealth Information Resource Centre