GET TO KNOW WHEN TO KEEP YOUR KIDS HOME FROM SCHOOL
Trying to determine whether to keep a child
home from school due to illness can be difficult
for parents, but a paediatrician offers some
advice on how to make that call.
When to keep a child home
"Being a parent is a juggling act, but throw in a
child being home sick from school and the
delicate balance topples. Many parents ask:
When is it important to keep my child home
from school and when should I send them?" Dr.
Hannah Chow-Johnson, a paediatrician at
Loyola University Health System in Maywood,
Illinois, said in a university news release.
"There are times when it's best for the child
and his or her classmates to just remain at
home," said Chow-Johnson, who's also an
assistant professor in the paediatrics
department at Loyola's School of Medicine.
One common problem is pink eye –
conjunctivitis.
"Your child is contagious with bacterial or viral
conjunctivitis until the redness and discharge
are gone. If the cause is viral eye drops won't
help. The only cure is time. Don't send your
child to school until the redness is gone,"
Chow-Johnson said.
Stomach flu can cause vomiting and diarrhoea,
and is typically caused by a virus.
Both symptoms ceased for 24 hours
"Children should not go back to school until
both the vomiting and diarrhoea are gone for 24
hours," Chow-Johnson said.
Children should stay home if they have a steady
cough , hacking cough or coughing fits.
"A child can go to school with a minor cough,
but the child should practice good coughing
hygiene , such as coughing into a tissue or their
elbow and washing hands frequently," Chow-
Johnson explained.
Most schools forbid children from attending if
they have a fever higher than 100 degrees
Fahrenheit, and require children to be fever-free
for 24 hours before they return to school.
Fever means rest is needed
"This is a good policy. If a child has fever, that
means he or she needs rest. The fever itself is
not contagious but it causes the body to slow
down to rest and recuperate," Chow-Johnson
said.
Children should also be kept home if they have
been diagnosed with strep throat and they've
taken antibiotics for at least 24 hours.
A child who has had head lice shouldn't return
to school until the child has had a lice
treatment, and there are no nits (lice eggs) on
the scalp or in the hair, Chow-Johnson advised.
Nits can be removed with a very fine-toothed
comb.
home from school due to illness can be difficult
for parents, but a paediatrician offers some
advice on how to make that call.
When to keep a child home
"Being a parent is a juggling act, but throw in a
child being home sick from school and the
delicate balance topples. Many parents ask:
When is it important to keep my child home
from school and when should I send them?" Dr.
Hannah Chow-Johnson, a paediatrician at
Loyola University Health System in Maywood,
Illinois, said in a university news release.
"There are times when it's best for the child
and his or her classmates to just remain at
home," said Chow-Johnson, who's also an
assistant professor in the paediatrics
department at Loyola's School of Medicine.
One common problem is pink eye –
conjunctivitis.
"Your child is contagious with bacterial or viral
conjunctivitis until the redness and discharge
are gone. If the cause is viral eye drops won't
help. The only cure is time. Don't send your
child to school until the redness is gone,"
Chow-Johnson said.
Stomach flu can cause vomiting and diarrhoea,
and is typically caused by a virus.
Both symptoms ceased for 24 hours
"Children should not go back to school until
both the vomiting and diarrhoea are gone for 24
hours," Chow-Johnson said.
Children should stay home if they have a steady
cough , hacking cough or coughing fits.
"A child can go to school with a minor cough,
but the child should practice good coughing
hygiene , such as coughing into a tissue or their
elbow and washing hands frequently," Chow-
Johnson explained.
Most schools forbid children from attending if
they have a fever higher than 100 degrees
Fahrenheit, and require children to be fever-free
for 24 hours before they return to school.
Fever means rest is needed
"This is a good policy. If a child has fever, that
means he or she needs rest. The fever itself is
not contagious but it causes the body to slow
down to rest and recuperate," Chow-Johnson
said.
Children should also be kept home if they have
been diagnosed with strep throat and they've
taken antibiotics for at least 24 hours.
A child who has had head lice shouldn't return
to school until the child has had a lice
treatment, and there are no nits (lice eggs) on
the scalp or in the hair, Chow-Johnson advised.
Nits can be removed with a very fine-toothed
comb.
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