Wednesday, May 7, 2008

What To Do When Your Child Gets The Flu From School

What To Do When Your Child Gets The Flu From School

One of the most difficult situations for a parent is when their child gets sick. When the flu season comes there is an increased risk of your kid getting the virus. At school, your child has increased risk of getting the flu and you should be prepared to address the situation when it inevitably arrives.
Kids are notoriously forgetful when it comes to washing their hands. Also, they don't cover their mouths when sneezing and the spread of the flu seems to coincide with these traits. The possibility that they will get it while at school is great.

Immediately, you should inform your child's school when they start to show signs of influenza and keep them home. This will inform the school health officials that the virus is around and to watch for other signs of it. Doing this may help in preventing a larger outbreak. Additionally, teachers, their aides, and restroom monitors can be aware of the situation and ensure that children are more diligent when hand washing.

School officials should encourage the usage of antibacterial soap to further help in the prevention of spreading the flu. They should also inform the students of the importance of using tissues to cover their mouths and noses when coughing and sneezing. If you take the steps to notify the school of your child's illness, then the prevention process can begin and possibly ensure a better environment for your child to return to.

Some State laws require that you do send a doctors note with your child to school when they have missed more than two days. This will help the staff in the office maintain their records. Simply request that your doctor, or their staff issue you a standard school absence note and this should be sufficient. Seeing to this point will prevent your child from discrepancies in their attendance records and also aide the school in their disease prevention strategies.

If you contact your child's teacher(s), and request that they assemble a packet of homework for your child to work on while away from school, it will ease the burden when they return to class. They may not want to do it, but it is to their own benefit and may take their mind off being sick. Try to make it fun and work with them on it if possible. Siblings may also help in this task too. This preventative measure will reduce the workload if your child does miss several days due to the illness.

You may want to consult your doctor or pediatrician about getting the child flu vaccination if you have more than one child. The influenza vaccine for children does require two doses. It is derived from the destroyed, dead influenza virus. This method ensures that you wont get the flu if they receive the vaccine. In some instances, children may experience a soreness around the injected area, or body aches after getting vaccinated. You may also check with your doctor to see if it's a good idea for you to immunized too.

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