Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114694

Michael P. Kennedy, MGA, MPH, CHES, Administration, Mecklenburg County Health Department, 249 Billingsley Road, Charlotte, NC 28211-1097, 704-432-1107, mike.kennedy@carolinashealthcare.org and Malyn Pratt, RN, School Health, Mecklenburg County Health Department, 249 Billingsley road, Charlotte, NC 28211-1097.

Renovations at a school closed off a colony of bats' regular exit point, forcing them from the attic into the classrooms. Students and faculty had contact with the animals for a number of days before the School Nurse was informed; no one on the school staff thought of the potential health risks from exposure; they6 were more concerned about the safety of the animals. The School Health program of the County Health Department initiated a coordinated response that involved public health officials, communicable disease staff, medical professionals and others in an effort to identify potential exposures, educate the entire school community, and determine the need for post-exposure prophylaxis. This presentation will describe the strategies used to address bureaucratic resistance, student reluctance to admit exposure due to fear of shots, parent and faculty concerns, popular myths about rabies and intense media scrutiny. The successful linking together of resources from different jurisdictions will be presented as a model for public health professionals to use when unique challenges present themselves.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify strategies for coordinating varied resources in response to a potential infectious disease;
• Recognize obstacles and effective responses when soliciting information from adolescents.
• Describe factors unique to school cultures that must be addressed to practice public health

Keywords: School Health, Disease Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation