Your Child: Too Sick for School?

A little sniffle. A slight cough. "I don't feel good," says your child. Should this kid stay home, go to school, or go to the doctor immediately? Given the recent outbreak of swine flu in the U.S., these are questions that a lot of anxious parents are asking themselves right now.

Usually, if your child has cold symptoms, the deciding factor is whether she has a fever too, experts say. If there’s no fever, it’s probably just a cold. So long as your child feels pretty healthy otherwise, it’s fine to send her off to school.

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But fever or not, if you’re in doubt, experts say you should always call your child's doctor for advice.

Also, if your child frequently claims to be "sick" but is fine on weekends, that's a sign of other issues. "There may be trouble at school," he notes.

Symptom by symptom, here are some guidelines to help you decide whether your child should stay home from school:

Fever
Fever is a common symptom of viral infections, like typical strains of influenza. But it can also result from more worrisome infections like swine influenza. If your child's temperature is 100.4 degrees or higher, keep your kid at home. While at home, encourage your child to drink plenty of liquids.

If you have concerns about your child’s health, get in touch with her pediatrician. That’s especially true if swine flu is a possibility. If there have been cases of swine flu at school, or if your child came into contact with someone who had it, your pediatrician needs to know. Swine flu in children needs to be monitored closely. Your doctor may recommend tests and possibly treatment with antiviral drugs. Tamiflu is available to children of any age; Relenza is not used as a treatment for flu in children under age 7 or as a preventive measure in children under 5.

For most viruses, a child should be fever-free for 24 hours (without medicine) before returning to school. For children with possible swine flu, the experts at the CDC recommend that they stay home for 10 days after the onset of symptoms.

Mild Cough/Runny Nose
If there's no fever and the child feels fairly good, school is fine.

Bad Cough/Cold Symptoms
Children with bad coughs need to stay home and possibly see a doctor. It could be a severe cold or possibly bronchitis, flu, or pneumonia. But when the cough improves and the child is feeling better, then it's back to school. Don't wait for the cough to disappear entirely -- that could take a week or longer!

Diarrhea or Vomiting
Keep your child home until the illness is over, and for 24 hours after the last episode (without medicine). Though diarrhea and vomiting are not usually associated with flu, they may sometimes occur with swine flu.