The tell-tale signs of when to keep a sick child home from school
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It's like a wave.
The holidays are over, kids are back in school, and they're flooding the offices of pediatricians.
And it's not covid, it's everything else. The onslaught is being blamed on letting our guard down.
A year ago, masks were still a part of life, including in schools. Well, the masks are pretty much gone, and kids are going to school sick.
There is no doubt pediatricians have their hands and exam rooms full.
Colds, flu, bad runny noses, and G.I. illnesses.
Allegheny Health Network pediatrician, Dr. Jennifer Priess, said there are degrees of being sick.
"That tiny runny nose is not very much of a problem," Dr. Priess said.
Every morning, parents are facing the decision of whether to keep a child home.
"Can they wipe their nose? Is it copious amounts [of mucus]? Is it minimal? Do they know how to cough in their elbow? Those kinds of things."
A fever is a no-go decision-maker, and it's not alone.
"I think once you get to a point where someone's actively sneezing, actively coughing, and it is of a frequency that is, you know, more than once every one-to-five minutes, you are not to send your child because they are spewing virus likely everywhere," Dr. Preiss added.
Dr. Priess said we're talking about more than school.
"It would apply to play dates, team practices, practices for an orchestra or band club meetings, all those things."
Dr. Preiss said if your child feels lousy, they are not going to be able to concentrate in school, and sending them to school not only puts others at risk, it's not in your child's best interest.
This is a tough decision for families because there are jobs to consider if it means a parent has to stay home.
But if they're sneezing or coughing and not controlling it, they're potentially spreading the misery to everyone around them.