Q: How do I know when to keep my sick kid home from daycare or school or stay home from work myself?
It’s been the Wild West of viruses this fall as respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, the flu and other illnesses have gotten many more people sick than normal, Northeast Ohio doctors report.
Public health officials are exploring people to stay home when they're sick, but when to keep a child home can be a tough call for families: Kids lose out on important learning time and calling out of work can hurt your finances.
So where is the line between a sniffle or slight fever some people might be able to power through and symptoms that require staying home to rest?
Akron Children’s Hospital pediatrician Dr. Arthur Lavin said there’s no perfect formula. But he suggested parents start by listening to their child. In his experience, even the sweetest 10-year-old has at one time exaggerated their symptoms to stay home from school, so Lavin tells parents to ask their child several questions about how they feel to gauge the severity of their illness.
“‘Do you feel sicker than you thought you were, and do you feel like this is coming back now, or was that just a little tickle in the stomach and you feel fine now?’” said Lavin. “If they really don't feel well then you go back to that first rule: If you don't feel well enough, don't go to school.”
Staying home not only stops the spread of viruses, but it also gives children (and adults) the rest they need to bounce back. Lavin said he’s seeing people who have fought off multiple illnesses sometimes only weeks apart.
“There's a lot more viruses circulating — a ton more than usual — and in that setting, we're seeing people get sick every two weeks to get a cold,” he said. “They’re getting sick again and again and again and again. That is not dangerous but [it is] energy depleting and profoundly frustrating.”
Lavin said staying home to prevent spread is great in practice, but not realistic for all infections. People can be contagious with a cold for up to three weeks and the viruses that cause a cold generally don't cause serious disease.
But it can be difficult to determine whether a person has the flu — which can cause serious complications — or a cold by the symptoms alone. The only way to know for sure is to get a flu test, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For adults trying to determine whether to stay home from work, the CDC says workers who are sick — especially those with flu symptoms — should stay home at least 24 hours after their fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit is gone. A person who has the flu but no fever should stay home 4 to 5 days after the onset of symptoms because people are most contagious during the first three days of infection.
It's important for those with COVID-19 to follow CDC guidelines and isolate because the illness is so contagious and the quarantine period is relatively short, Lavin said. The CDC recommends isolating for five days if you have COVID-19.
Most people don’t need to see their doctor for normal illness, doctors said, but people should take a COVID test to know whether to isolate.
