Strep Throat
Strep throat is a contagious bacterial infection commonly found in the throat. Symptoms include a red painful sore throat with white patches on their tonsils. A person may also have swollen lymph nodes in the neck, run a fever and have a headache. The doctor will perform a throat culture to confirm the bacterial infection and prescribe treatment. Your child may return to school after he/she has been on the medication for 24 hours. Don't forget to change their tooth brush after two days of antibiotics as well.
Scarlet Fever
Scarlet fever is ordinary strep throat with a rash. The rash looks like sunburn with goose pimples and may involve all parts of the body. The rash is classically called a red sandpaper like rash. Follow the same protocol for treatment as strep throat.
Stomach Bug (Norovirus)
Many different things can make kids throw up, including illnesses, motion sickness, stress, and other problems. In most cases, though, vomiting in children is caused by gastroenteritis, an infection of the digestive tract, which is contagious. Children may return to school after he/she has been vomit free for 24 hours or more.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea is frequent, soft or loose bowel movements (poop). It is an infection of the intestines caused by either a virus, bacteria or parasite. Children who have had two or more episodes of diarrhea may return to school once they have gone 24 hours without a loose bowel movement.
Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (Coxsackie virus)
Coxsackie is a contagious viral infection that causes a blister-like rash on the hands, feet and mouth typically. However it can also present elsewhere on the body. Other symptoms may include fever, runny nose, sore throat, loss of finger nails. Your child may return to school after he/she is fever free for 24 hours and the blister-rash disappears.
Flu (Influenza)
The flu is a viral infection of the nose, throat, and lungs. The flu is highly contagious. Typical flu symptoms include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose. Additional symptoms one may experience are muscle pain, fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhea. If you suspect your child is getting the flu it is very important that he/she does NOT attend school or go anywhere else in the public setting to avoid exposing other people to the virus until he/she has been fever and symptom free for 24 hours.
Common Cold
The common cold is a contagious viral infection of the upper respiratory system. The first symptoms of a cold are often a tickle in the throat, a runny or stuffy nose, and sneezing. Kids with colds also might feel very tired and have a sore throat, cough, headache, mild fever, muscle aches, and loss of appetite. Mucus from the nose may become thick yellow or green. Please remind your children of proper hygiene inclusive to covering your mouth when sneezing and coughing as well as washing their hands when soiled.
Head Lice (Pediculosis)
Head lice are tiny insects that live on the scalp. They lay eggs, called nits which stick to hair. Head lice are not a sign of not being clean and they do not spread diseases. They also do not live on pets they are only spread from person to person. One of the first signs of head lice is itching of the head, it can be possible to have head lice without any symptoms. If you find any nits or live lice in your child's hair , please keep your child home from school and contact their pediatrician for recommended treatment. If live lice are found at school, the school nurse will contact the child's parent and ask that treatment be done before returning to school.
Ear Infections
Ear infections are not contagious, however are seen frequently in kids. Common infection of the ears are Otitis media, swimmer's ear (infection of the skin in the ear canal), pressure from a cold or sinus infection, teeth pain radiating up the jaw to ear . To tell the difference, your pediatrician will need to examine your child's ear.
COVID-19
COVID-91 is a contagious viral infection. Symptoms of COVID-19 may include cough, fever/chills, trouble breathing, new loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, headache, sore throat, body aches, fatigue, nausea/vomiting or congestion/runny nose. At home test kits are available, please contact the school nurse if you need one. Children with COVID-19 may return to school after they have been fever-free for 24 hours and symptoms are subsiding. Upon returning to school it is recommended that student wear a mask for the subsequent 5 days. Click here for the most current CDC information: https://www.cdc.gov/covid/prevention/index.html
Mono (mononucleosis)
Mononucleosis (mono) is a contagious illness caused by a virus known as the epstein barr virus (EBV). Mono spreads through kissing, coughing, sneezing, or any contact with the saliva (spit) of someone infected with the virus. It causes a group of symptoms including being very tired, fever, sore throat with swollen tonsils that may have white patches, loss of appetite, swollen lymph nodes (or glands) in the neck, underarms, and groin, headaches, sore muscles, weakness, larger-than-normal liver or spleen skin rash, belly pain. If your child is having these symptoms call their physician to be evaluated.
Pink Eye (conjunctivitis)
Pink eye is a contagious infection of the eye characterized by severe irritation that results in redness, frequent rubbing, drainage, and crusting of the eye requiring a medication for proper healing. Students must be on the eye drops for at least 24 hours before returning back to school.
Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease involving the respiratory system. Pertussis is spread primarily by direct contact with secretions from the mouth, nose and throat of infected individuals. Symptoms initially include sneezing, runny nose, low grade fever, and a mild cough. Within two weeks the cough becomes more severe and is characterized by episodes of numerous rapid coughs followed by a crowing or high-pitched whoop. A thick, clear mucus may be discharged. These episodes mat recur for one to two months, and are most frequent at night. Complete recovery may take months, however a student may return to school when they have had at least five days of treatment.
Scabies
Scabies is an infectious disease of the skin caused by a mite. Mites burrow into the skin producing pimple-like irritations. Mites are transferred by skin-skin contact. Symptoms of scabies is itching, the itching tends to be most intense at night. The areas most affected by scabies include the webs of fingers, wrists, elbows, armpits, waist, thighs, areas of genitalia. A person is able to spread scabies until the mites and eggs are destroyed by treatment. Please keep your child home from school until the first scabies treatment has been completed.
Impetigo
Impetigo is a common contagious infection of the skin resulting in blisters that may occur anywhere on the body, but most commonly are seen around the nose and mouth. Impetigo is spread person to person through direct contact with discharge from the blisters. Later, blisters become crusty sores that are damp and weepy. The sores may grow in size and spread. When blisters break, they form a flat, honey colored crust on the skin. Children with impetigo may return to school 24 hours after starting antibiotic treatment
Ringworm
Ringworm is a contagious skin infection that is caused by a fungus and appears as a flat ring shaped rash. The edge is reddish and may be either dry and scaly or moist and crusted. As it spreads, the center area clears and appears normal. It is spread by direct skin to skin contact with infected people and pets, or indirectly by contact with items like shower stalls, floors ect. Your child may return to school after treatment has been started.
Pinworms
Pinworms are white, parasitic worms that can live in the large intestine. School age children have the highest rate of infection from pinworms. The most common symptom is an itchy buttocks. Please contact your health care provider if you suspect your child has pinworms.
Fifths Disease
Fifths disease is a viral infection which often affects red blood cells. It is spread by exposure to airborne droplets from the nose and throat of infected people. One to two weeks after exposure, some children will experience a low-grade fever and tiredness. By the third week, a red rash generally appears on the cheeks giving a slapped face appearance. Sometimes, the rash is lacy in appearance and may be itchy. By the time the rash is evident, the person is probably beyond the contagious period. Currently there is no specific treatment for this viral illness.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. Bed bugs are reddish-brown in color, wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm (roughly the size of Lincoln's head on a penny), and can live several months without a blood meal. One of the easiest ways to identify a bed bug infestation is by the tell-tale bite marks on the face, neck, arms, hands, or any other body parts while sleeping. However, these bite marks may take as long as 14 days to develop in some people so it is important to look for other clues when determining if bed bugs have infested an area. These sign's include:
The bed bug's exoskeletons after molting
Bed bugs in the fold of the mattresses and sheets
Rusty-colored blood spots due to the their blood filled fecal material
A sweet musty odor
If you suspect bed bugs, please contact your family physician or your child's pediatrician for more information.