For
questions you might have from your school nurse, you might want
to check out the website below:
Children's Helathcare of Atlanta
Steps to
Follow:
1.Once you get to the
website, you need to go to PROGRAMS and click on
BUILDING BRIDGES.
2. Then, you scroll down
to the bottom right side to the section on RESOURCES FOR
SCHOOL NURSES.
3. Choose "SCHOOL
HEALTH TIP SHEETS".
3. Next, go down to
CHOOSE AN OPTION.
4. Lastly, you "CHOOSE"
the topic you are interested in and click on "GET TIP SHEET".
Here are some "TIPS" below that you
might be interested in.
Is
Your Child Too Sick for School?
Early in the
morning, it is often difficult to make a decision about whether
or not your child issick enough to stay home from school. With
minor symptoms, you often cannot tell whether he is going to get
better or worse during the course of the day.
The main reasons for keeping your child
home are:
– He’s too sick to be comfortable at school.
– He might spread a contagious disease to other children.
As a rule of thumb, a child should stay home if he has:
– A fever higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
– Vomited more than once
– Diarrhea
– A very frequent cough
– Persistent pain (ear, stomach, etc.)
– A widespread rash
Most of these problems need to be discussed with your child’s
pediatrician to determine if an office visit is needed. (If your
child has frequent complaints of pain that cause school absence,you
should consider the possibility that your child is intentionally avoiding school. Bring this to the attention of the child’s
doctor before a great deal of school has been missed.)
On the other hand, children who don’t have a fever and only have
a mild cough, runny nose or other cold symptoms can be sent to school without any harm to themselves or others. The following
guidelines may help in your decision process:
A runny nose is the way many
children respond to pollen, dust or a cold virus. Minor cold or
allergy symptoms should not be a reason to miss school. Many healthy children have as many as six colds
per year, especially in the early school years.
Coughing, especially if it is
persistent during the day, can indicate a worsening of cold or
allergy symptoms. It may be a sign of a secondary infection (e.g., sinusitis, pneumonia),
which may require medical treatment. It may also indicate mild asthma. If your child’s cough is worse than you might expect
with a common cold, you need to consult your child’s doctor. You should do so immediately if the child is not acting normal, has
a fever or has any difficulty breathing.
Diarrhea and vomiting make children
very uncomfortable. A single episode of vomiting, without any
other symptoms, may not be reason enough for the child to miss school, but be sure the
school can reach you if symptoms occur again during the day. A single episode of watery diarrhea probably warrants not going to
school. It could be very embarrassing and uncomfortable for your child to have another episode while in school. If diarrhea
or vomiting are frequent or are accompanied by fever, rash or
general weakness, consult your child’s doctor and keep the child out
ofschool until the illness passes.
Fever (generally considered to be
higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) is an important
symptom—especially when it occurs along with a sore throat, nausea or a rash. Your child could
have a contagious illness, which could be passed to classmates
and teachers. While you can treat the fever, and usually make the
child feel better temporarily, the cause of the fever (and the
risk of passing it to others) is still there. Children with fever should
stay home until there is no fever for 24 hours.
Strep throat andscarlet fever are two highly
contagious conditions caused by the same bacterial infection.
They usually arrive with a sudden complaint of sore throat and fever and
often stomachache and headache. With scarlet fever, a rash
usually appears within 12 to 48 hours. A child with these symptoms
should see his doctor for diagnosis and treatment and should remain out of school until he is without fever and has been on
antibiotics for 24 hours.
This general healthcare information should
not be used as a substitute or in place of contacting your
child’s healthcare provider. If you need
further assistance, call 404-250-KIDS to speak to a pediatric
nurse.
Pinkeye, or conjunctivitis, can be
caused by a virus, bacteria or allergy. The first two are very
contagious. The eye will be reddened, and a cloudy or yellow discharge is usually present.
The eye may be sensitive to light. Consult with your child’s
doctor to see if antibiotic eye drops are needed. Again, your child should
stay home until symptoms subside and he has been on antibiotic
eye drops at least 24 hours or until the doctor recommends your
child return to school.
Middle ear infections can cause
great discomfort and often fever, but are not contagious to
others. Your child should see his doctor for diagnosis and treatment and should stay at home if he
has fever or pain.
Flu is a contagious virus that
usually occurs in the winter months. Symptoms include body
aches, high fever, chills, congestion, sore throat and, in some children, vomiting. Your child should stay
home until these symptoms improve, usually five to seven days.
Consult your child’s doctor for treatment suggestions to make your child
more comfortable.
Impetigo is a staph or strep
infection that creates a red, oozing blister-like area that can
appear anywhere on the body or face. A honey-colored crust may appear on the area. It can be passed to
others by direct contact. Consult your child’s doctor for
treatment and length of time your child should remain out of school,
especially if the area cannot be covered.
Chickenpox is a highly contagious
viral illness. It causes fever and an itchy rash, which spreads
quickly all over the body, changing from red bumps to blister-like lesions, then scabs. Your child
needs to stay home until all bumps are scabbed and no new bumps
have appeared for two days. Your child is contagious at least two
days before the rash starts, so you need to let the school and
playmates know, and consult your child’s doctor for treatment of symptoms.
A vaccine is available for children who have not yet had
chickenpox and is required for kindergarten. The vaccine will also be
required for all new sixth graders who have not yet had
chickenpox.
Scabies and lice brought into a
school can quickly produce an epidemic of itching and
scratching. Scabies are tiny insects that burrow into the skin and cause severe itching. Lice are tiny
wingless insects, like ticks, that thrive on the warm scalps of
children and cause itching. Both should be treated immediately, with advice
from your child’s doctor. Children need to stay home from school until head lice are dead and until nits or eggs are removed with
a special fine comb. Head checks should continue for 10 to 14
days. Caution your child against sharing combs, brushes, hats or other
clothing. In the case of scabies, children should stay home for
24 hours after treatment.
All of these illnesses can be spread easily, both in school and
in the family. Keep in mind that hand washing is the single
most-important thing you can do and teach your child to do to help prevent the
spread of infections. Whenever there is a doubt in your mind about sending your child
to school, consult your child’s doctor before doing so. A phone consultation may be all that is necessary, or your child’s
doctor may need to see the child in the office.
RINGWORM OF THE SKIN
(TINEA CORPORIS):
WHAT IS IT?
Ringworm of the skin
appears as a ring-shaped pink patch on the skin.The pink patch is usually 1/ 2 to 1 inch in size with a scaly, raised border and clear center.The ring slowly gets bigger and may be mildly itchy.
HOW IS IT SPREAD?
Ringworm of the skin is contagious. It requires direct skin-to-skin contact. After 48 hours of treatment, ringworm is not contagious at all.This rash may take four weeks to clear up.
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT?
Treatment of ringworm requires use of an antifungal cream as recommended by the child’s pediatrician. If there is no improvement or condition worsens, the child should return to the doctor.
RINGWORM OF THE SCALP (TINEA CAPITIS):
WHAT IS IT?
Ringworm of the scalp may appear as round patches of hair loss that slowly increase in size.There is a blackdot, stubbled appearance within the bald spots of the scalp from hair shafts that are broken off at the surface. Scaling on the scalp and mild itching of the scalp may be present. A fungus that infects the hairs and causes them to break is the reason for over 90 percent of the cases of ringworm of the scalp.
HOW IS IT SPREAD?
A worm does not cause ringworm. Other children who are infected usually transmit ringworm of the scalp. Combs, brushes, hats, barrettes, seat backs, pillows and bath towels can transmit the fungus.
HOW IS IT TREATED?
Antifungal creams are not effective treatment for ringworm of the scalp because they can not reach the fungus deep in the hair roots. Ringworm of the scalp requires a visit to the doctor and eight weeks of a special oral medicine. Know Your Way Around Ringworm (Skin or Scalp)
RINGWORM IS A FUNGUS INFECTION OF THE
SKIN, often transferred from puppies or kittens that have it.
This general healthcare information should not be used as
a substitute or in place of contacting
your child’s healthcare provider. If you need further
assistance, call 404.250.kids to speak to a pediatric nurse. For
more
information check out our Web site at www.choa.org and click on
“medical library,” “for professionals” or “for parents.”
You may also call the Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta 24-hour nurse advice line at
404-250-KIDSfor advice when your child’s doctor’s office is not
open.
Make sure that your child’s school knows how to reachyou during
the day, and that there is a back-up plan and
phone number on file if the school cannot reach you.
©2006 Children’s Healthcare of
Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved. /IMM919112.ey.04/06
For more
information, visit www.choa.org and click on Patient Resources,
then select Online Medical Information.