Communicable Diseases and Reporting
Keeping students healthy is the primary goal of the licensed school nurse and the school health services program. School nurses accomplish this task through these key strategies:
- Promoting prevention measures
- Monitoring and requiring immunizations
- Following exclusion guidelines for various conditions
- Reporting specified illnesses to the Department of Health
Resources
The CDC provides additional guidance for When Students or Staff are Sick.
Hennepin County Infectious Diseases in Childcare Settingsand Schools Manual also provides exclusion guidelines.
Reportable Conditions
Some conditions are of special concern and need to be reported to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) immediately. There is a list of reportable conditions on their website.
Attendance staff should be instructed to ask what a student's symptoms are when families call to notify of illness, this will help to clarify numbers of concern. The school nurse should develop a system for regularly surveying attendance numbers and watching for areas of concern.
Chickenpox and Shingles
Chickenpox and Shingles Reporting - Schools are to report all suspected and confirmed cases of chickenpox at their school, even if they have not been diagnosed by a healthcare provider. Suspect and confirmed cases of shingles in children under 18 must also be reported. Schools should report using the Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPD) Reporting Form.
Chickenpox can sometimes be difficult to distinguish from other rash illnesses, such as hand, foot, and mouth disease. For this reason, MDH recommends laboratory testing for all suspected cases of varicella. Because many cases are not seen by a health care provider, MDH provides home test kits for varicella. Test kits can be sent directly to household or to schools and child cares to distribute to families. Varicella Testing at MDH is provided at no charge.
Respiratory Illness Outbreak and Gastrointestinal Illness (GI)
- Minnesota Department of Health School Health Personnel Immunization and Disease Reporting
- Respiratory Illness Outbreak and Gastrointestinal (GI) Illness Outbreak Reporting for K-12 Schools (PDF)
Respiratory Illness Reporting includes COVID-19, Influenza, Influenza Like Illness (ILI), or any illness with respiratory symptoms even if there is not a diagnosis. Schools should report via the Respiratory Illness and Gastrointestinal Illness Outbreak Reporting form when 10% of enrolled students in a building are absent from school on a given day with respiratory illness symptoms and/or a respiratory illness diagnosis.
- Influenza Surveillance Protocol and Frequently Asked Questions
- Minnesota Department of Health School Health Personnel Influenza Information
- MDH Schools and Child Care COVID-19
- MDH Parent and Caregiver Information COVID-19
Gastrointestinal Illness (GI) Outbreak Reporting
GI symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea. Schools need to make a report to MDH when the number of students absent with GI illness exceeds the school’s established baseline (e.g., double the number of absences due to GI symptoms). Schools should report via the Respiratory Illness and Gastrointestinal Illness Outbreak Report form
Norovirus Information for Schools
Contacts for questions
For respiratory illness questions email: health.schools.covid19@state.mn.us or health.vpd.report@state.mn.us.
For GI questions email: health.foodill@state.mn.us or 1-877-FOOD-ILL (877-366-3455).
School nurses work closely with MDH regional field epidemiologists, as conditions present. MDH epidemiologists will work closely with you to monitor the situation.