AnonyMouse_22106 Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Can anyone tell me if a parent calls to say their child is going to be off becasue they think they have Swine Flu - how long are you telling them that the exclusion time is?
Guest Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Hi thumperrabbit, When the child has been free from fever for a minimum of 24 hours after completing all courses of medication and they appear well then it is safe. Just checked on nhs direct. HTH Lesley
AnonyMouse_22106 Posted November 30, 2009 Author Posted November 30, 2009 Thanks Lesley Where abouts on NHS direct did you find it? I had been on there for a quick look but couldn't see anything. Even asking my children's school today they didn't know, the head just said "Erm......not sure, when they feel better" Of course for some parents that could be after 1 day
AnonyMouse_19135 Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 We are still saying 7 days after onset/"diagnosis" I asked my daughters school though and they have said 5 days. I'm not taking chances though, especially with it so close to xmas, all the parents are happy with the 7 day exclusion as well, for once they all think along the same lines as me lol!
AnonyMouse_75 Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 I would work on the time span suggested after the symptoms had ended because each child is different if might be difficult to know how long it will take from diagnosis for the child to recover I was surprised to hear that you can catch swine flu twice, a parent of ours is just recovering and has told us its her second bout
AnonyMouse_15046 Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 I do remember reading, I think on the direct.gov website, that children are infectious for longer than adults so if you are concerned to ensure they are clear I would go for a longer excusion period.
Guest Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 (edited) once the symptoms have subsided however, they are no longer consider 'infectious' - or so NHS website said this morning...just double checked: " How much contact should I have with family and friends? If you have swine flu, avoid unnecessary contact with family and friends while you are infectious, which is usually until five days after your symptoms started (seven days in children). Once your symptoms have gone, you are no longer infectious. Keep one metre or more away from people’s faces to avoid droplets from your throat affecting others. Where possible, you can avoid exposing your partner to infection by sleeping in the spare room" (NHS Direct website Swine Flu Q&A) Edited November 30, 2009 by ExtraordinaryChicken
Guest Posted December 1, 2009 Posted December 1, 2009 Hi again thumperrabbit, Sorry - I went out after posting my reply! I went to have another look for my source of information and couldn't find the link again! However, I googled 'swine flu when can my child return to school' and there were several items there. As others have said, advice seems conflicting - but the main thing is that the child should be symptom free, including no cough which is sometimes a complication. Many sites state that young children take longer than older children to shake off the symptoms. Our experience has been that they usually take a week or longer to return. HTH Lesley
AnonyMouse_22106 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Posted December 1, 2009 Thanks for that Lesley It's so difficult these days isn't it, nobody wants to give firm answers on anything. We had a parent just mention in passing that she thinks her child had it, last weekend but she didn't bother with any antibiotics. Everyone then started to discuss it, should/shouldn't the child be with us, the child seemed bright enough and wanted to stay, so stay she did. I don't know if we did right from wrong - maybe doctor training should be on the list for us next!
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