Tampa, FL (August 30, 2007) – It’s that time of the year again. Kids, nationwide, are heading back to school and experts at the USF Health College of Nursing are helping to track human bites in an effort to help train first responders – the school nurse. While it’s true that human bites in the classroom are nothing new, the bites have become a cause for greater concern because of the threat of wound infections and more awareness of transmittable diseases.

The USF Health College of Nursing is serving as a national expert on the subject, having surveyed classroom bites to offer advice and training to first responders.

“School nurses need guidance,” said Helen Acree Conlon, Deputy Director of the Occupational Health Nurse Practitioner Program at the USF College of Nursing. Conlon, who holds masters degrees in both nursing and public health, has authored a guide for school nurses and first responders, published in the August 2007 edition of the Journal of School Nursing.

“Teachers need to report this to their school nurse. The bites are very under reported,” says Conlon, who’s been in nursing since 1969 and is concerned by the chronic under reporting.

“The real threats from a human bite include wound infection and transmission of hepatitis. Some teachers told me they’ve been bitten multiple times and did not seek care. It’s an occupational hazard,” she says. “Every bite needs to be reported and looked at by a professional medical provider. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

In her article for the national publication, Conlon asks school nurses to be proactive- actively encouraging teachers to be “up to date” on their immunizations. “The most commonly asked question is, ‘Am I at risk for HIV?’” says Conlon. “Epidemiological data are clear. The transmission rate of HIV from saliva is insignificant. The real threats from a human bite are hepatitis B and C in saliva and wound infections.”

It’s been estimated that one-half of the population will sustain some type of bite in their lifetime. Human bites are the third leading bite treated in hospital emergency departments after dog and cat bites. Approximately 10% – 15% will become infected.

Experts warn the true number of bites is unknown because of significant under reporting. Some states require notification to the local health department, others do not.

“Hillsborough County has 10-thousand teachers in 224 schools. During the five-year period of July 2001to June 2006, there were 208 reported and treated cases involving teachers, classroom aides and other school staff bitten by students,” said Conlon of her research findings.

Conlon hopes to create an evidence-based, standard protocol where every classroom bite incident gets reported and wounds are monitored to prevent infection. The protocol would also standardize how the bites are reported, giving the school nurse access to more details on how the bite occurred, whether blood was present in the biter’s mouth, etc. Experts say it’s that level of detail that clarifies the risk to the teacher or individual who’s been bitten.

Conlon’s research plans also include other professionals at higher-risk for human bites – health care providers, paramedics, police officers and even prison workers, she says. Still focused on increased training for school nurses and teachers, Conlon hopes her research will encourage more educators to be immunized for tetanus and hepatitis.

For more on the article published in the Journal of School Nursing or to request an interview with Helen Acree Conlon, contact the USF Health Communications Office.

– Story by Lissette Campos

-About USF Health-

USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With $310 million in research funding last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of Florida’s top three research universities.