At this time, New Jersey recommends that school and childcare settings increase education on respiratory hygiene and monitor attendees for acute febrile respiratory illness.

Staff and children (as developmentally appropriate) should all be taught and asked to follow these steps that prevent the transmission of infections such as influenza:

Cover your coughs and sneezes.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Wash hands frequently, especially after coughing or sneezing.
Stay home if you're sick, especially with a fever.

School or childcare participants with acute febrile respiratory illness, regardless of travel history, should be sent home according to facilities-established procedures with instructions to stay at home until 24-48 hours after their symptoms resolve. Instructions should be given to seek medical care with worsening of symptoms. At this time, exclusion is not recommended for school or childcare participants who have recently traveled to an affected area and who do not have symptoms.

To date, no cases of swine flu have been detected in New Jersey. If you need additional information, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/.