The Mesa County Public Health Department has issued the following press release about the illness that has impacted their school districts:
With a large number of students at Palisade High School (PHS) reporting illness, Mesa County Public Health (MCPH) wants to inform our community about how infectious illnesses can spread and ways to protect yourself and your family. Although the illness impacting students and staff at PHS remains unknown, we do know that vomiting is associated with the illness. With students and staff out of school for the remainder of this week, public health is concerned about additional spread into the community.
To help prevent the spread of illness you should:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub when soap and water is not readily available.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
- Cover coughs or sneezes using your elbow instead of your hand when a tissue is not available.
- Know the signs and symptoms of illness such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, vomiting, or diarrhea.
- Consider getting a flu shot.
- Stay home and out of school, child care, and work if you are feeling sick.
MCPH encourages you to remain at home for at least 24 hours after symptoms have subsided. These types of illnesses are very contagious and surfaces at home can become contaminated quickly and easily.
Some of the ways you could get sick include:
- An infected person touches a surface (door knob, counter top, etc) with their bare hands that have been contaminated by a sick person.
- An infected person vomits or has diarrhea which aerosolizes and contaminates surfaces.
- Eating contaminated food from an infected person (sharing drinks or utensils).
MCPH is working with Mesa County School District 51 to understand the illness impacting students and staff at Palisade High School. If you or your child is sick, and you have questions about the symptoms or illness, you should contact a health care provider.
