CDC updates guidance on preventing infection transmission in schools
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Key takeaways:
- The CDC says the late-spring publication came about to ensure it is part of back-to-school preparations.
- The publication suggests schools encourage staff and students stay home when they are sick.
Just ahead of the start of summer vacation, the CDC has released guidance on preventing infections among students in kindergarten through 12th grade for the 2024-2025 school year.
“CDC has updated actions schools can take to prevent germs from spreading and keep kids healthy and learning,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, said in a press release. “This update puts lessons learned into actionable steps schools can follow to keep our kids, teachers and school staff safe.”
According to the release, the 10-part guidance was published this month to allow for administrators to ensure it can be part of back-to-school preparations in the fall.
Recommendations include taking actions such as:
- teaching hand washing and respiratory etiquette;
- improving school ventilation, by considering ventilation enhancements and design when undergoing remodeling or when undertaking new building construction to optimize clean air;
- cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting, when appropriate; and
- promoting vaccinations for students and staff.
The CDC also suggests that schools encourage staff and students stay home when they are sick, especially in cases of symptoms such as fever, vomiting more than twice in the last 24 hours, diarrhea that is bloody or results in more than two bowel movements above the child’s normal experiences in a day, skin sores on a commonly uncovered part of the body which are unable to be covered by a bandage, and respiratory virus symptoms that are unexplained by another cause.
The guidance also recommends using personal protective equipment for school staff that care for sick children, as well as updating or developing any infectious disease sections of school emergency operation plans and establishing and maintaining key partnerships with health departments, local medical systems and other community health providers.
“If illness activity is elevated, schools can consider implementing additional strategies as part of a layered approach to prevention,” the CDC said. “These additional strategies depend on several considerations, but include actions such as: wearing masks, increasing space and distance between students and using cohorts, conducting illness screening, and testing to screen for illness.”
References:
CDC releases guidance for preventing spread of infections in schools to keep children healthy and learning. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/p-0517-guidance-k-12.html. Published May 17, 2024. Accessed May 17, 2024.
CDC. Preventing spread of infections in K-12 schools. https://www.cdc.gov/orr/school-preparedness/infection-prevention/index.html. Accessed May 17, 2024.
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