THIS ISSUE:• Child and Aolescent Oral Heath Service

• Oral Heath

• Raw Milk

• Head Lice

• Influenza

• Parenting Tips

• Hand Hygene

• HPV Vaccine

• Psychoactive Substances • Hearty Lamb & Vegetable Soup

Hello, Kia Ora Koutou – Malo e Lelei – Talofa Lava – Ni HaoWelcome to the fourth edition of Health News for Schools.

We encourage you to share the health and wellbeing information in our newsletters with all staff, parents, families/whanau and caregivers - through your own newsletters and noticeboards, or through copies being sent or emailed home.

The Child and Adolescent Oral Health Service provides quality dental care for all children and adolescents in the MidCentral DHB region. Looking after your child's smilebegins with the following early oral health habits.

Tips to keep your child’s beautiful smile:

• Brush teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.

• Your child needs your help until they are 8 years old.

• Your child also needs a soft bristle brush.

• Give milk or water to drink - cordial, fruit juice and fizzy are bad for their teeth.

• Choose health-friendly snacks such as pieces of cheese or raw vegetables instead of biscuits.

Just remember that their dental appointments are free until they are 18 years.

For an appointment please contact us on 0800 825 583(0800 TALK TEETH)

Health and wellbeing information for primary school education staff, parents, caregivers and whanau

FEATURE

PUBLIC HEALTH MAy 2014, IssUE 4

HEALTH nEws for sCHooLs

Kia ora

I’m Mahashweta Patel working for the Child and Adolescent Oral Health Service, MidCentral Health. I’ve just completed my Master’s in Public Health at the University of Otago, I’m now back in my home town working with the community that I grew up in.

As the Preschool/Adolescent Oral Health Co-ordinator it is my role to co-ordinate interaction between groups that deliver or are involved in oral health services. It is my aim to enhance uptake and on-going participation of children in oral healthcare. I will be engaging with community groups, primary and secondary schools and health providers in the MidCentral region to deliver oral health messages and promote oral health services.

I really look forward to working with groups and organisations in our community to help ensure our children have healthy smiles which remain healthy throughout their lives.

Oral health advice for your family

• Tooth decay is preventable. Sugar-free snacking, and twice daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste will help keep teeth free from decay.

• Children under eight years need adult help with brushing their teeth, especially the molars at the back.

• If the water supply is not fluoridated, fluoride tablets can be bought from a pharmacy. They help to make teeth stronger. Brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste is the best way to prevent decay.

If you are interested in learning more about our service, or have any questions or queries please contact me via email or phone.

Mahashweta Patel Email: mahashweta.patel@midcentraldhb.govt.nz Phone: (06) 350 8619 Ext 9551 027 4555 359

Oral Health

Photo: Mahashweta Patel

There is a growing demand from people in New Zealand who want to consume raw milk because of an interest in natural and unprocessed foods, perceived health benefits and/or its taste. Under current legislation, consumers can buy raw milk (up to 5 litres per day at the farm gate) for their own personal use.

What is raw milk?

Raw milk is milk harvested directly from a milking animal (e.g. cow, goat, sheep) that has not undergone any heat treatment (e.g. pasteurisation) to kill bacteria.

How does milk get contaminated?

Disease-causing micro-organisms can pass into milk directly from an infected udder or milk can be contaminated from the dairy farm environment during milking, e.g. from dirty udders and teats. Raw milk may contain bacteria such as Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli and protozoa such as Cryptosporidium. While modern milking practices can reduce the amount of contamination entering the milk, they will not prevent it. You cannot tell if raw milk is contaminated by its taste, sight or smell. All milk sold in New Zealand (except for raw milk farm sales) is pasteurised or heat treated to kill these harmful organisms. This does not adversely affect the health benefits of milk.

What are the risks?

Recent international studies have shown that raw milk was 150 times more likely than pasteurised milk to cause illness. Some people are at a higher risk of becoming sick or having a more severe illness – these include pregnant women, babies and young children, the frail elderly and people with weakened immune systems (eg those with other medical conditions, on chemotherapy, etc.). Such consumers should avoid drinking raw milk.

How do you minimise these risks?

If you decide to drink raw milk, make sure you are buying milk from a trusted dairy farmer. Such farmers must comply with certain animal health and hygiene requirements set by the Ministry of Primary Industries. Keep raw milk under refrigeration (4°C or less) and throw it out if it has spent more than two hours at room temperature. High-risk people (as detailed above) should avoid drinking raw milk. Wash your hands well after handling raw milk and ensure storage containers are thoroughly washed, sanitised and dried before re-use. For further information:

http://www.foodsmart.govt.nz/food-safety/high-risk-foods/raw-milk/rawmilk.htm

http://www.foodsafety.govt.nz/industry/sectors/dairy/manufacturing/milk-products/raw-milk-products.htm

Raw Milk

Head Lice

Head lice, also known as “nits”, “kutis”, “kutu bugs” or “head louse” are small, flat insects, 2-3 mm long, that live and lay eggs on the human scalp. Head lice:

• live on the scalp which provides food and warmth for their eggs to hatch

• feed on human blood through the scalp 5 or 6 times a day

• cannot jump, fly or swim

• do not carry disease

• remain on the head after swimming or bathing/showering.

Head lice cause itching, and occasionally scalp infection although not all children complain of an itchy head.

Life cycle

Female lice lay about 7–10 eggs each night. Eggs are laid close to the scalp. The eggs or nits are small, hard and are normally pale grey in colour. Eggs hatch in nine days and head lice will live for 40 days.

Looking for head lice

Look over the scalp for insects or eggs, especially:

• around the hairline at the back of the neck

• behind the ears, or

• on the crown.

When to treat

• If you find a LIVE insect on the scalp.

OR

• If you find eggs within 1 cm of the scalp.

How to treat

Speak to your pharmacist/doctor/practice nurse or Public Health Nurse for advice.

• You can use a shampoo or lotion (containing insecticide) available only from your chemist or doctor to kill both the insects and eggs. Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. Recheck your children’s heads after a week and make sure they

brush their hair every night, OR

• Wet combing may be effective if done properly and is a cheaper option. This involves wetting the child’s hair and covering in conditioner, then using a fine toothed nit comb and combing through small sections of the hair - white conditioner is perfect as any head lice or nits can be seen easily. This needs to be repeated every few days until there is no evidence of head lice or nits.

What does not work?

Ordinary shampoo or soap will not kill head lice.

You must not use

Fly spray, kerosene or animal remedies, as these may harm children.

To prevent head lice and reduce the spread lt is impossible to prevent head lice completely but you can reduce the spread by:

• Brushing hair every evening to help kill or injure lice and stop them from laying eggs. Use a firm bristle brush and brush under the hair and around the hair line.

• Not sharing brushes and combs.

• Treating all affected family members at the same time.

Because lice do not live beyond 48 hours it is rarely necessary for additional washing and cleaning of other articles.

HEAD LICE

The Checklist

• Check hair every week. (During outbreaks check daily).

• Brush hair every evening.

• Treat as above if you find LIVE insects, or eggs within 1cm of the scalp

Contact a Public Health Nurse on 0800 153 042 if head lice are a particular problem.

Influenza spreads very easily and up to 1 in 5 of us come in contact with influenza every year.

At its worst, influenza can put you in hospital and can even be fatal. In many cases, influenza can keep you in bed for a week or two, and drain your energy keeping you from work, sport or just about anything that requires leaving the house.

For adults and children with long-term health conditions, pregnant women and people aged 65 years and older, influenza can be an especially serious illness. For this reason the influenza immunisation is provided FREE to these groups.

Infuenza Is A Serious Illness

FREE for many people

Don’t take the risk! Call your local general practice or medical clinic to arrange a FREE vaccination if you are in any of the following groups:

• are pregnant

• regularly use an asthma preventer

• have diabetes

• have heart disease

• have kidney problems

• have cancer

• have a serious medical condition

• are aged 65 years or over

• a child under the age of 5 years who has been hospitalised for a respiratory illness, or has a history of significant respiratory illness

If you do not have one of these eligible conditions, you still benefit from an influenza immunisation available, at a small cost.

Parenting is an important job often with little or no training. It can be extremely rewarding and equally frustrating as our little people start to exert their authority. Effective parenting can be achieved by using common sense and hard work. Any parent who is prepared to put in the time, effort and is willing to learn a few basic parenting skills can be a very good parent. Parenting is such a skill and often we do not know if we have been effective until our children are older. To assist our children to have happy memories when they are older, we as parents need to provide happy activities today. This can be something as simple as reading a story, playing games, talking with and having fun with

your child/children. It is not necessary to spend large amounts of money, just time. Being an active parent will stimulate your child’s intellectual development, boost their confidence and should lead them to become socially well adjusted children.Being an active involved parent in your child’s/children’s lives, involved with their development is the best investment you can make in their futures.

Information taken from the “Tips for Parenting” written by Martin Van der Kley.

PARENTING TIPS

The use of hand sanitisers such as alcohol-based solutions is useful to decontaminate hands if there is no access to hand washing facilities. However, their use does not replace the need for thorough hand hygiene.

Hand sanitisers should be used as an additional hand hygiene step. Hand sanitisers are less effective when there is a build-up of organic material on the hands. If there is visual soiling of the hands full hand hygiene (washing and drying) should be performed. It is important that after applying sanitiser solution/gel the hands should be rubbed together until they are completely dry.

The Public Health Service has a number of eye catching hand washing resources available, such as stickers and posters. We also have a fun hand washing resource kit which can be used with children as a practical lesson for hand washing. Please contact the Public Health Information Resource Centre on 0800 153 042 for any of these resources.

HIGH FIVE FOR CLEAN HANDS

Hand Hygiene is the single most important measure to reduce the chances of transmitting illness from one person to another.

What is Hand Hygiene?

Hand Hygiene = Hand Washing + Hand Drying

Hand hygiene is more than just hand washing – it also includes hand drying. Normal hand hygiene follows the 20/20 rule – 20 seconds to wash and 20 seconds to dry.

Good hand hygiene practices for staff, along with and observing and teaching children how to wash their hands properly will pay off in preventing the spread of illness in your school.

Recommended technique for good hand hygiene practice:

• Wet hands with warm water.

• Apply liquid soap.

• Rub all areas of hands vigorously together.

• Wash for 20 seconds (about the same time as it takes to sing Happy Birthday).

• Rinse well.

• Dry hands thoroughly for 20 seconds using a paper towel.

The public health nursing team, has a number of hand washing kits which are a fabulous resource for classroom teaching. Contact 0800 153 042 for details, or talk with the school public health nurse.

HAND HYGIENE

During this second school term, all girls who consented to the HPV vaccination will receive the second dose of the immunisation. Any child who has not yet received the Boostrix vaccination and returned a signed consent form, should expect to receive it this term.

If your child did not receive a consent form or you would like more information please contact the public health nurses on – 0800 153 042

HPV Vaccine

When to get immediate help

Go to the nearest hospital emergency department (call 111 if you can’t get someone to hospital) if a person shows any of the following symptoms after using a psychoactive substance:

• difficulty breathing

• feeling cut off from the world

• chest pain

• racing heart rate

• difficult to rouse or wake

• lowered consciousness

• shaking or twitching

• rapid eyeball movement

• non-stop vomiting

• extreme anxiety or pain

• fainting or loss of speech and eyesight

• paranoia

• loss of contact with reality

• seizures

What you can expect if you stop using

If you have been using psychoactive substances regularly and you stop, you are likely to experience withdrawal (also known as detox). Withdrawal can cause symptoms that could last for several weeks or even months but most physical symptoms will begin to improve by day three. Most people can cope with mild withdrawal by knowing what to expect, taking extra care of themselves (such as resting and drinking water, but avoid caffeinated beverages) and possibly using natural remedies to help with sleep and agitation. Most people will complete withdrawal with mild to moderate symptoms.

• Common Symptoms

• More extreme symptoms

• Restlessness

• Irritability

• Agitation

• Sleep problems

• Low mood

• Heavy sweating

• Anxiety

• Headaches

• Low energy

• Poor concentration

• Mood swings

• Vomiting

• Diarrhoea

• Aches and pains

• Nausea

• Low appetite

• Craving drugs

• Extreme panic or anxiety

• Depression

• Hallucinations

• Paranoia

• Racing heart

• Anger

• Suicidal thoughts

• Ongoing diarrhoea and vomiting

• Aggression and violence

• Confusion and memory problems

Concerns about withdrawal symptoms

If you have concerns about withdrawal symptoms contact your doctor or local hospital.

If you think a person experiencing withdrawal is having suicidal thoughts or they have a history of feeling suicidal or low mood swings, ring the mental health crisis service at your local hospital.

Calling Healthline 0800 611 116

If you are experiencing withdrawal and feel worried, unsafe or vulnerable, or you have concerns about someone else experiencing withdrawal, call the free, 24-hour Healthline to speak to a registered nurse.

The Healthline nurse will recommend the best care and tell you where you can go to seek help.

Managing your own withdrawal

For more information go to: www.matuaraki.org.nz/library/matuaraki/managing-your-own-withdrawal-a-guide-for-people-trying-to-stop-using-drugs-and-or-alcohol

Getting help to stop using

Contact the Alcohol and Drug Helpline: 0800 787 797

The Alcohol and Drug Association offers alcohol and drug information: www.alcoholdrughelp.org.nz

To find the nearest alcohol and drug service in your region go to: www.addictionshelp.org.nz/Services/Home

For more information about psychoactive substances and getting help go to www.health.govt.nz/pshelp

Getting Help: PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES (Legal High's)

Public Health Services

MidCentral Health Private Bag 11 036 Palmerston North 4442

Health Protection Officers Health Promotion Advisors

Public Health Unit Community Health Village Palmerston North Hospital Phone (06) 350 9110 Fax (06) 350 9111

Public Health Nurses Vision & Hearing Technicians Health Information Resource Centre

575 Main Street Palmerston North Phone (06) 350 4560 or 0800 153 042 Fax (06) 350 4561

Child & Adolescent Oral Health

Rimu HouseCommunity Health VillagePalmerston North HospitalPhone (06) 350 8619 or 0800 825 5833

Public Health Information Resource Centre

575 Main St Palmerston North Phone (06) 350 4560 or 0800 153 042 Fax (06) 350 4561 Email public.healthinfo@midcentraldhb.govt.nz

'Education is not preparation for life;

education is life itself.

John Dewey

CONTACTS QUOTE

Please email any comments about the newsletter, and ideas for future articles (including health and wellbeing initiatives your centre would like to share) to: pam.owen@midcentraldhb.govt.nz.

For any enquiries please phone 0800 153 042 - we are happy to provide you with information and answer any questions you have.

WINTER WARM SOUP RECIPE

Hearty lamb & Vegetable Soup This soup is easy to make and will satisfy all your cravings for a comforting and warming winter meal.

What you will need

• 500g lamb, diced

• 1 packet Vegetable Soup mix

• 2L water

• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated

• 1/2 medium kumara, grated

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 1 fennel bulb, diced (optional)

This soup is easy to make and will satisfy all your cravings for a comforting and warming winter meal.

What you will need

• 500g lamb, diced

• 1 packet Vegetable Soup mix

• 2L water

• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated

• 1/2 medium kumara, grated

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 1 fennel bulb, diced (optional)

• 1 can canned whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a large pot

2. Bring to the boil

3. Reduce heat and gently simmer for approximately two hours

4. The lamb should be tender and the vegetables all soft.