Sick kids

Here are the guidelines to help you know when to keep your child home when they are sick. School is not a place where students can easily rest and recover from an illness. Please keep your child home when they:

• Are not well enough to participate in class

• Have a fever above 100.0 F (keep child home for 24 hours after the fever has resolved without medication as they still may be contagious to others).

• Have Vomiting/Diarrhea: A child with vomiting and/or diarrhea needs to stay home for 24 hours after symptoms have stopped.

Other Reasons to keep your child home:

• Sore throat: Children can attend school with a mild sore throat. If your child has a sore throat with fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, or difficulty swallowing he/she should be seen by a doctor. A child with strep throat needs to stay out of school for 24 hours after antibiotics are started.

• Rash: A rash with symptoms such as trouble breathing or swallowing, fever or your child appears ill should be evaluated by a doctor.

• Cough: A cough that interferes with your child’s ability to learn or participate in school activities.

• Head Lice: Keep child home until treatment completed and child has changed into clean clothes.

• Pink eye: For pink eye caused by bacteria (symptoms include eye redness, swelling and yellow or green drainage), children should stay home for 24 hours after antibiotics begin.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Pertussis is caused by a bacteria and affects the airways. It is spread person to person through coughing and sneezing. Exposure is through close face to face contact. The disease starts out much like a cold with a runny nose, possible low grade fever and a mild irritating cough for 1-2 weeks. The illness can progress to spells of explosive coughing that can interrupt breathing, eating, and sleeping and is commonly followed by vomiting and exhaustion. We are asking you to be on the lookout for these symptoms and to contact your medical provider with questions regarding possible need for testing or treatment.

The Grant County Health Department is conducting a follow up investigation to reduce the spread of illness. They have provided the following recommendations:

If your child has a cough, contact your child’s doctor for further recommendations. It is especially important to call your doctor if your child has a cough and a weakened immune system (or other health condition that may be worsened by pertussis, such as moderate to severe asthma).

If your child is tested for pertussis:

• They should be put on antibiotics until the test results come back

• They need to stay home until the test results come back negative or they have been on antibiotics for 5 days if no test result is available

• If the test comes back negative for pertussis, please ask for a note from the doctor telling the school that your child’s cough is not pertussis and that your child can return to school and other activities

If your child has been diagnosed with pertussis by his/her doctor:

• Tell the school that your child has been diagnosed with pertussis.

• Keep your child home from school and activities (such as sports or play groups) until your child has been on an antibiotic that treats pertussis for five days.

• Ask your child’s doctor for a note that states your child has pertussis and includes how long your child should be out of school. Send this note to the office.

To help prevent pertussis, make sure your family members are up-to-date with pertussis vaccinations. Pertussis vaccines are recommended and available for children, adolescents, and adults. If you have questions, please call the Grant County Health Department at 608-723-6416 or myself, 342-4013.

For more information, please see the following website: https://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/index.html