- Experts advise parents not to take sick children to school, even if the sickness isn't COVID-19.
- They point out that children may easily transfer infections, and that schools are ideal environments for illnesses to thrive.
- Experts recommend that a kid stay at home for at least 24 hours after symptoms have subsided, and even longer if the disease is COVID-19.
Experts advise parents to keep their children at home while they are unwell, regardless of the ailment.
Experts believe it's more vital than ever for parents to keep their children home if they're sick, especially with COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prevalent in many areas.
To put it another way, just because your child tests negative for COVID-19 doesn't imply they should be in a school with other kids.
“It's never been acceptable to send a sick child to school. Dr. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease expert and medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Kansas Health System, stated, "There have always been regulations for returning to school after sickness or specific symptoms, such as fever."
“This is still a concern, especially now that COVID-19 and RSV are circulating at such high quantities. Even if a COVID-19 test is negative (assuming it was an antigen test, a confirmatory PCR test is required), being sick has the potential to transfer illness to others, according to Hawkinson.
COVID-19 isn't the only sickness that spreads quickly in crowded places. In addition, schools can be a hotspot for various infectious illnesses.
“RSV, streptococcus pneumonia (strep throat), gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses, and other common cough and cold viruses may readily be spread in school environments. Some of the diseases can create significant issues for people who become sick, according to Hawkinson.
“Strep throat may cause serious difficulties and lead to hospitalization, and any of the respiratory infections can cause pneumonia and severe breathing problems, while GI pathogens can cause considerable dehydration and lead to hospitalization,” he said.
Influenza is also readily transmitted at schools, as youngsters are more prone to catch it and transfer it to others.
The most effective way of action
Differentiating respiratory diseases from COVID-19, according to Dr. Anne Liu, an infectious disease researcher at Stanford University in California, can be challenging because symptoms are often identical.
“The symptoms of these can be difficult to differentiate from COVID-19 symptoms, and they can also be difficult to separate from allergies,” she told Healthline. “It will be critical to have readily available, low-cost, and quick-turnaround testing.”
If a kid exhibits any COVID-19-related symptoms, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that they stay at home and be tested.
They should only return to school if their symptoms have improved for at least 10 days and they haven't had a fever for 24 hours without the usage of fever-reducing medicines.
“If the testing is negative, the fever has gone away, and there are no breathing difficulties, wheezing, or shortness of breath that would require a trip to the doctor or emergency room, then I would advocate following the school's instructions at that point,” Liu added.
Even if a COVID-19 test is negative, the CDCTrusted Source recommends that children with flu-like symptoms but no fever stay at home to reduce the risk of infection transmission.
If a kid has a fever, he or she should stay at home for at least 24 hours after the fever has subsided, without taking any fever-reducing medicines. Children with a compromised immune system may need to stay at home for extended periods of time.
Children with norovirusTrusted Source, a highly contagious GI virus, should stay at home for the duration of their illness and for two days after their symptoms have subsided.
Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach discomfort are some of the symptoms.
When norovirus is present in a shared setting, it may swiftly spread.
“(Norovirus) is very contagious and is responsible for the majority of infectious diarrhea transmissions in communal settings,” Liu added.
“The norovirus is a horrible infection. It can appear with or without a fever, but the accompanying vomiting and diarrhea can be extremely severe, and it can spread fast in schools, daycares, nursing homes, and hospitals,” she explained.
Illnesses are contagious and spread fast.
Infectious respiratory diseases and gastrointestinal infections, according to Hawkinson, may readily spread in schools for a variety of reasons.
“First, many individuals, particularly children, may not practice proper hand hygiene and cleanliness, and youngsters spend much of the school day together.
“In addition, it may be more difficult, especially for younger children, to maintain a safe distance while maintaining physical touch. In certain conditions, respiratory or gastrointestinal illness may readily transmit from person to person or by touching surfaces,” Hawkinson added.
Parents and caregivers may, however, take efforts to help their children from being sick at school.
“Please be vaccinated against COVID-19, and when the flu vaccine becomes available this year, get it as well,” Hawkinson added.
“For the time being, mask use should be promoted. Continue to speak with your children and encourage frequent handwashing with soap and water or alcohol hand sanitizer to avoid illness,” he advised.
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