A Story From the Field: The Room Where Sick Children Rest, Now Closed

A mid-sized primary school inside Nakhon Sawan city municipality, close to the Chao Phraya River in the Paknampho area, keeps its nurse room on the ground floor of its oldest classroom building. The room holds two sick-bay beds, a wooden medicine cabinet, a small refrigerator for cold packs and certain medicines, first aid kits, a blood pressure monitor, and the height and weight scale used for student health checks every term.

In the 2026 floods, water entered the ground floor to about knee height and stayed for almost two weeks. Teacher Wilai, the school health teacher who looks after the nurse room, was the first to inspect it once the water receded. The sick-bay mattresses were sodden and covered in green-black mold spots. The lower drawers of the medicine cabinet were holding water, and the boxes of medicine and packs of gauze inside had turned to pulp. The refrigerator had been submerged and gave off a foul smell. A tide line ran along the lower walls, and the whole room smelled so strongly of damp and mud that she had to open the windows straight away.

What worried Teacher Wilai most was the timing. When classes resume after a flood, the number of students visiting the nurse room usually goes up: children with cuts from helping their parents move belongings, children with itchy rashes after wading through water, children with stomach aches and diarrhea. The nurse room needs to be ready from day one, and it needs to be cleaner than any classroom, because it is where sick children lie down to rest.

This article is a practical guide for school administrators, school health teachers and facilities staff restoring a nurse room after a flood, from sorting medicines and supplies to professional disinfection fogging and ozone treatment before reopening. It is not medical advice. For questions about medicines and treatment, consult a pharmacist, a doctor, or your local public health office.

Why a School Nurse Room Must Be Cleaner Than Any Other Room

It gathers children whose bodies are already weakened. A child with a fever, a stomach ache, dizziness or an injury is more vulnerable to infection. If the bed, pillow or floor still carries germs from floodwater, a child who comes to rest may pick up something new, and germs from one child can pass to the next child who uses the same bed.

It is where wounds are cleaned and dressed. After floods, many children have small cuts on their hands and feet. If dressing supplies or surfaces in the room are contaminated, the risk of wound infection rises. Mud contaminated with rodent urine is also associated with leptospirosis, which can enter the body through broken skin.

Mold and allergies. Nurse rooms are often small, air-conditioned rooms with mattresses, privacy curtains and blankets, all of which collect mold readily. A child sent to rest because of an asthma or allergy flare-up may feel worse if the room is still damp and musty.

Parents' trust. Parents leave their children at school believing that, if their child feels unwell, they will be cared for somewhere clean and safe. A nurse room that still smells musty or shows mold stains undermines that trust instantly, and it is the kind of detail parents remember and talk about.

Sorting Medicines and Supplies: Do This Before Cleaning Starts

This step should be carried out by the school health teacher or the person responsible for the nurse room. When in doubt, consult a pharmacist or the local subdistrict health promoting hospital.

• Medicines and supplies that touched floodwater. Tablets, liquid medicines, creams, gauze, cotton wool, plasters and bandages that got wet, or whose boxes got wet, should all be discarded, even if the inner packaging looks sealed, because their cleanliness and quality can no longer be assured.
• Medicines that stayed dry but sat in a hot, humid room for a long time. Check the storage instructions on the label. If a medicine needs refrigeration but the fridge was off for days, or if its appearance has changed, consult a pharmacist before using it.
• Mattresses, pillows, sheets and privacy curtains. Mattresses that were submerged and show mold should be replaced. Washable fabrics should be washed in hot water and dried completely. Pieces with stubborn mold stains should be replaced.
• Small medical devices. Blood pressure monitors, digital thermometers and other electrical devices that were submerged should not be switched on right away. Have them checked by the supplier or a technician first.
• The medicine refrigerator. If it was submerged, have an electrician check it before plugging it in, and consider replacing it if you are unsure about its safety or cleanliness.

Keep a list of discarded items with photos. It will support requests for help from the school's supervising agency or public health authorities and make it easier to plan replacement purchases.

Common Fixes That Fall Short in a Nurse Room

• Wiping the bed and putting a fresh sheet on top. A mattress that absorbed floodwater still holds germs and moisture inside. A new sheet does not make the mattress clean.
• Mopping the floor with bleach and calling it done. This helps the floor surface but does not reach the walls, the back of the medicine cabinet, under the beds or the ceiling. The sharp smell is also unsuitable for a room where sick children lie down.
• Spraying air freshener. It masks the smell temporarily without removing mold or the source of the odor, and it may irritate children with asthma.
• Repainting the walls immediately. If the walls are still damp with mold inside, the paint will blister and the mold will come back, in what should be the cleanest room in the school.

The Solution: CHEMGENE HLD4H Fogging and Ozone Treatment Before Reopening the Nurse Room

The disinfection service from World Health Disinfection uses CHEMGENE HLD4H, a disinfectant used in hygiene and healthcare settings, applied with ULV (ultra-low volume) fogging equipment. The fine mist reaches floors, walls, bed frames, the space under beds and behind the medicine cabinet, the handwashing sink and the restroom next to the nurse room.

After fogging, the team uses the ozone treatment service in rooms that can be closed. Ozone helps destroy airborne mold spores and break down odor molecules that have soaked into walls, ceilings and curtains. Most nurse rooms are small, well-sealed rooms, which makes them very well suited to ozone treatment.

The step-by-step process

1. Survey with the school health teacher and facilities staff. Check how high the water reached and the condition of walls, cabinets, beds and the restroom, and set a work date that leaves time before classes resume.
2. Sort and remove items. The health teacher sorts medicines and supplies as described above, and moves medicines being kept, medical devices and student health records out of the room first.
3. Clean and dry. Remove mud, wash floors and walls, discard mattresses and damaged materials, and open the room to let air through.
4. ULV disinfection fogging. Every surface in the nurse room and its restroom is fogged while nobody is inside.
5. Controlled ozone treatment. The room is closed with no people, animals or plants inside, and the dose and duration are matched to its size.
6. Ventilation. Doors and windows are opened, and the team tells the school when it is safe to go back in.
7. Re-check before reopening. Once new beds and mattresses are in place and the medicine cabinet is restocked, odor and moisture are checked again.

Ozone safety: during ozone treatment there must be no students, teachers, pets or plants in the room, and the room must be fully ventilated before anyone returns. Medicines, medical supplies, medical devices, electronics and rubber items should be removed or covered before treatment. The team controls the ozone dose to suit the room.

In the Meantime: Set Up a Temporary First Aid Point

If the school reopens before the nurse room is ready, set up a temporary first aid point in a room that was not affected by the flood, such as a well-ventilated room on the second floor.

• Use a folding bed or a newly bought mat, covered with a freshly washed sheet that is changed after every child.
• Prepare a brand-new first aid kit, including wound dressings, saline for cleaning wounds, and disposable gloves.
• Wipe frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, the table and the bed edge every day with CHEMGENE HLD4H spray.
• Put up signs so teachers and students know where it is, and let parents know through each class's LINE group.
• Display the phone numbers of the nearest hospital and rescue service where they are easy to see.

After floods, Aedes mosquitoes usually multiply in pools of standing water around school grounds. Mosquito spraying around the school buildings helps reduce the risk of dengue as the term begins.

Spots That Are Often Overlooked in a Flooded Nurse Room

• Under the beds and the bed legs. Mud often clings to bed legs and casters, and must be scrubbed off before disinfection.
• The lower drawers of the medicine cabinet. Water often sits in drawers without being visible from outside. A swollen plywood cabinet is best replaced with a metal or plastic one.
• The weighing scale and height measure. The base of a scale is a common place for mud and rust to collect.
• The restroom next to the nurse room. Children with diarrhea will use it often, so it must be disinfected thoroughly, including the floor drain.
• The air conditioner. A room closed for a long time often has mold on its filters and vents. Have the unit cleaned before switching it back on.
• Student health record files. Make copies of essential information from wet documents first, then store them outside the room.

Restocking and Re-Equipping: A Practical Checklist

Reopening the nurse room is also a good opportunity to make it easier to keep clean and more resilient to the next flood.

• Choose wipe-clean mattresses. Sick-bay mattresses with waterproof, wipeable covers can be disinfected between children and are far easier to keep hygienic than fabric-covered foam.
• Store medicines high and sealed. Keep medicines and dressings in sealed plastic boxes on upper shelves or in wall-mounted cabinets, well above the level the water reached this year.
• Raise the refrigerator. Place the medicine fridge on a sturdy stand so that a shallow flood does not reach the motor and wiring.
• Prefer metal or plastic furniture. Cabinets and side tables made of metal or plastic survive water much better than plywood or particleboard.
• Keep a digital copy of health records. Scanning or typing essential student health information means it will not be lost if paper files get wet again.
• Prepare a "grab box". A sealed box with a basic first aid kit, gloves and contact numbers that can be carried upstairs quickly when a flood warning is issued.
• Log cleaning routines. A simple sheet on the wall recording when the beds, surfaces and restroom were last disinfected helps teachers share the work and reassures visiting parents.

Daily Hygiene in the First Weeks After Reopening

For the first few weeks, while the surrounding community is still cleaning up and more children than usual may be coming in with cuts, rashes and stomach complaints, a few simple routines make a big difference.

• Change pillowcases and sheets after every child, and keep a supply of clean linen in a closed container.
• Wipe the bed cover, bed rails and table with disinfectant after each use.
• Wash hands before and after treating each child, and use fresh gloves for every wound.
• Bag used dressings and gloves immediately and remove them from the room at the end of each day.
• Open the windows for a while each morning before turning on the air conditioner, to clear any stale air from overnight.
• Keep a note of how many children come in with diarrhea, rashes or fever. If numbers rise sharply, inform the school administration and local health authorities.

Working With Health Authorities, Staff and Parents

Involve the local health network early. Many schools in Thailand already work closely with the nearest subdistrict health promoting hospital or the municipal public health division. After a flood, these partners can advise on which medicines to discard, help replace basic first aid supplies, and share guidance on watching for illnesses such as diarrhea, skin infections, conjunctivitis and leptospirosis in the weeks after the water recedes. Contacting them before the nurse room reopens means the school's plan reflects current local advice.

Brief all teachers, not only the health teacher. In the first weeks back, homeroom teachers are often the first to notice that a child is unwell. A short staff briefing on where the temporary first aid point is, when the nurse room will reopen, which symptoms should be sent straight to the health teacher, and how to clean up safely after a child vomits or has an accident in class helps the whole school respond consistently.

Tell parents what has been done. A brief message to parents explaining that the nurse room has been cleaned, that damaged medicines and mattresses have been replaced, and that the room has been disinfected and treated with ozone before reopening is reassuring. It is also a good moment to ask parents to update their child's health information, such as allergies, asthma or regular medication, since some records may have been damaged in the flood.

Ask parents to keep children home when they are clearly ill. During recovery, when many families are under strain, children sometimes come to school with a fever or diarrhea because there is nobody at home to look after them. A gentle reminder about when a child should stay home, together with clear communication about how the nurse room will care for children who become unwell during the day, helps reduce the spread of infection among classmates.

10 Reasons Schools Choose WHD for Their Nurse Room

1. We use CHEMGENE HLD4H disinfectant, used in hygiene and healthcare settings.
2. ULV mist reaches under beds, behind the medicine cabinet and into corners a cloth cannot.
3. Ozone treatment is ideal for small, well-sealed nurse rooms.
4. No need for air freshener, reducing irritation for children with asthma.
5. We plan the work around the health teacher's sorting of medicines.
6. Safety first: medicines and medical devices are always moved out before ozone treatment.
7. We can treat classrooms, restrooms and the canteen on the same day.
8. Mosquito spraying around school buildings after the water recedes.
9. A dust mite removal service for cushions and curtains that were not submerged but sat in damp rooms.
10. Easy to reach by phone and LINE, so facilities staff can coordinate smoothly.

Before and After: A Nurse Room Ready to Care for Students

In the Words of a School Health Teacher

"What helped most was getting the order right. I sorted the medicines and supplies first, we moved everything usable out, and then the team came in to fog and run the ozone. Meanwhile we ran a temporary first aid point upstairs. When the nurse room reopened, the musty smell was gone, and I felt comfortable letting children lie down there again."

— School health teacher at a primary school in Nakhon Sawan city municipality (a story from the field)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can medicines that were in the cabinet but stayed dry still be used?
Check the storage instructions and the appearance of each medicine. If unsure, consult a pharmacist or local health office. Medicines that touched floodwater should be discarded.

Do medicines need to be removed before ozone treatment?
Yes. Medicines, medical supplies and devices should always be taken out of the room before ozone treatment and brought back after ventilation is complete.

When can students use the room again after ozone treatment?
Once ventilation is complete. The team will tell you when it is safe. We recommend treating on a day when students are not at school.

Can a flooded sick-bay mattress be washed and reused?
We do not recommend it. A mattress that absorbed floodwater holds germs and moisture inside that are very hard to remove. Replace it, ideally with a mattress that has a waterproof, wipeable cover.

Does the nurse room need repeat disinfection?
After reopening, teachers can wipe frequently touched surfaces daily. If a musty smell returns, or a child with a contagious illness has used the room, a follow-up fogging can be arranged.

Our nurse room did not flood, but it smells musty. Does it need treatment?
Yes, it is worth checking. A closed room in a flooded building can absorb humidity for weeks, especially if the power or air conditioning was off. Ozone treatment can deal with the odor and airborne spores, and the team will check the mattresses, curtains and cabinets for hidden mold during the survey.

Can the nurse room be treated on the same day as other classrooms?
Yes. The team schedules the nurse room among the first rooms treated, so there is time to ventilate and set it up before classes resume.

Get Your School Nurse Room Ready to Care for Students Again

Schools in Mueang Nakhon Sawan and nearby provinces can contact us for a survey and a plan that fits your reopening date.

View Disinfection Service – Click Here

Book Ozone Treatment – Click Here

Call 065-556-6294 · LINE @whd268 · Email worldhealthdisinfection@gmail.com

Related Articles and Resources

• Ozone treatment for odors and chemical residue
• Master Ozone Generator
• CHEMGENE HLD4H 750 ml spray
• All articles
• External sources: WHO: Floods and health and Thailand Department of Disease Control

#PostFloodDisinfection #NurseRoomDisinfection #OzoneTreatment #MustyOdorRemoval #MoldRemoval #Disinfectant #SchoolFloodRecovery #DisinfectionService

Keywords: school nurse room disinfection after flood, ozone treatment school sick bay, first aid room after flood, medical supplies flood damage, Mueang Nakhon Sawan, Paknampho 2026