Too Sick For School

What to do when you are sick with a respiratory virus

Respiratory viruses like COVID-19, influenza (flu), and RSV can cause a range of symptoms, including but not limited to cough, fever, chills, headache, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, chest discomfort, decrease in appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue (tiredness), muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell, weakness, and wheezing. If you are sick or test positive for a respiratory virus, it is important to take steps to help prevent the spread of the virus to others in your home and community and to reduce your likelihood of getting very sick. Stay home and away from others, get tested if accessible, and get treatment if you are eligible. Follow the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) What To Do When You Are Sick With COVID-19 or Another Respiratory Virus guidance.

 

What to do when you are sick with a respiratory virus

If you have respiratory virus symptoms that are not better explained by another cause (such as allergies) or test positive for COVID-19 or another respiratory virus, follow CDC guidance for staying home and away from others; this includes people you live with who are not sick.

You can go back to your normal activities when both of the following have been true for at least 24 hours:

• Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
• You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).

You can tell your symptoms are improving when you start to feel better and you feel well enough to fully participate in your activities, such as learning in a classroom or completing tasks at work. A respiratory virus infection can have many types of symptoms, some of which can last beyond when someone is contagious (able to spread the virus), such as a lingering cough. Having a single symptom or a combination of symptoms is not as important as the overall sense of feeling better and the ability to resume activities.

When you go back to your normal activities, wear a mask and take added precautions over the next 5 days, such as taking steps to improve air flow and filtration, practicing good hand hygiene, cleaning regularly, physical distancing, and testing when you will be around other people indoors. You may still be contagious with a respiratory virus after returning to your normal activities, so it is important to take additional precautions.

• People with COVID-19 are often contagious for 5-10 days after their illness begins.
• People with flu may be contagious for up to 5-7 days after their illness begins.
• People with RSV are usually contagious for 3-8 days after their illness begins.

Additional precautions should be taken to protect people at high risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. Follow the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) What To Do When You Are Sick With COVID-19 or Another Respiratory Virus guidance.

Employers must follow Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) COVID-19 requirements in the workplace: L&I Requirements and Guidance for Preventing COVID-19.

What should you do after being exposed to COVID-19 or another respiratory virus?

After you have been exposed to COVID-19 or another respiratory virus, it can be especially helpful to use respiratory virus prevention strategies, such as wearing masks, taking steps to improve air flow and filtration, practicing good hand hygiene, cleaning regularly, physical distancing, and testing. If you develop symptoms, take the steps described above to prevent spreading respiratory virus illness to others, get tested, and get treatment if eligible.

There are other medical conditions besides COVID-19 which may require your student to stay home from school. If your student has any of the following symptoms, please keep them home and contact their school.

• Appearance, behavior – A child who appears severely ill, which may include lethargy, persistent crying, difficulty breathing, or a significant change in behavior or activity level indicative of illness.
• Eyes – white or yellow drainage, vision change, and/or redness of the eyelid or skin around the eye, itchiness, pain, or sensitivity to light.  This may be a sign of “pink eye” (conjunctivitis) which needs a medical evaluation. Following a diagnosis of conjunctivitis, the student may return to school 24 hours after receiving the first dose of prescribed medication. Students can remain in school if there is only minimal redness to the white of the eye and no other signs.
• Fever – temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Student needs to be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine such as Tylenol or Motrin before returning to school. Giving a fever reducing medication just before returning to school does not make a student well. It may only mask the fever until the medication wears off. In this situation, a student needs to be home, so others are not exposed to illness.
• Ear pain with fever – untreated ear infections may cause permanent hearing loss. Consult with the student’s health care provider.
• Persistent nasal drainage and/or chronic cough – may need to be seen by a health care provider. A student with thick or constant nasal discharge should remain home. Very few younger children can effectively blow their noses and wash their hands afterward. A child with the above symptoms will quickly spread the illness to other children.
• Sore throat – especially with fever or swollen glands in the neck. A student with a confirmed diagnosis of strep throat may return to school after 24 hours of appropriate antibiotic treatment. They must also be fever free for the past 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medications.
• Diarrhea – more than one watery stool in a 24-hour period, especially if the student acts or looks ill. A student with diarrhea should stay home and return to school only after being symptom free for 24 hours.
• Vomiting – A student with vomiting should not return to school for 24 hours following the last episode of vomiting.
• Rash – body rash, especially with fever or itching. Common infectious diseases with rashes are most contagious in the early stages. A child with a suspicious rash should return to school only after a health care provider has made a diagnosis and authorized the student's return to school. Exceptions are rashes due to heat, diapers, and allergic reactions which are not spread to others.  
• Open sores or wounds – discharging bodily fluids that cannot be adequately covered with a waterproof dressing or mouth sores with drooling. Consult with the student’s health care provider.
• Lice, Ringworm or Scabies – Individuals with head lice, ringworm or scabies must be excluded from the childcare premises beginning from the end of the day the head lice, ringworm or scabies was discovered. The provider may allow an individual with head lice, ringworm or scabies to return to the premises after receiving the first treatment
• Chickenpox – Students are infectious 1-2 days before the rash appears and until the blisters (sores) are dry and crusted. This is usually 5‐6 days after the rash appears. Students need to stay home until all lesions have crusted over and there are no new lesions in 24 hours. If your child has chickenpox, alert the school nurse.

Contact your medical provider if your student is experiencing any other symptoms that are concerning to you.

A sick student cannot learn effectively and is unable to participate in classes in a meaningful way. Keeping a sick student home and encouraging frequent handwashing allows the student the opportunity to rest and recover and prevents the spread of illness in the school community.