HEALTH SERVICES AND PROGRAMS

WHEN TO KEEP YOUR CHILD HOME FROM SCHOOL

Here are some guidelines from your School Nurse to answer the questions:

"Should I keep my child home from school?"

Please keep your child home if he or she:

• Has a fever of 100 or higher before taking medication to reduce the fever.
• Has been vomiting or having persistent diarrhea in the last 24 hours.
• Has excessive tiredness or lack of appetite.
• Has an intense headache, sore throat, body aches, chills or an earache.
• Has a persistent, productive cough, which has kept them up at night.

"Does my child have the flu?"

The flu can be serious. If your child is at high risk for flu complications please contact your physician at the first sign of flu symptoms. Individuals at risk include those who are pregnant, have asthma or diabetes, have compromised immune systems, or have neuromuscular diseases. Symptoms of flu typically come on suddenly and can include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Body aches
• Sore throat
• Nausea, vomiting
• Dry cough

"When should I send my child back to school?"

Colds and flu can be contagious for at least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow the recovery process and expose other children unnecessarily to illness. Please keep

your child at home until:

• His/her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
• He/she has not had vomiting or diarrhea during the last 24 hours.
• If given antibiotics, he/she has taken the antibiotics for at least 24 hours.
• His/her appetite and energy level have returned to normal.