The HSE has issued the following guidelines to assist schools with managing the current flu season.
What should I do if my child gets sick?
If your child gets sick with a flu-like illness as described above you should:
- Keep your child at home and away from others as much as is possible to avoid spreading infection to others. If they are sick with flu they should stay at home for 5 days from the onset of symptoms.
- Give your child simple anti-fever medication such as paracetamol or ibuprofen (NB: aspirin should NOT be given to children under 16 years of age) and ensure that they drink plenty of fluids.
- If you think your child needs to see the GP because they have severe symptoms, remember to ring your GP first.
- If your child is in a high risk group for complications of flu contact your GP, even if their symptoms are mild (High risk groups include people with: chronic lung, heart, kidney, liver, or neurological disease; immunosuppression ( i.e. weakened immune system whether caused by disease or treatment); diabetes mellitus; people aged 65 years and older; children less than 2 years of age; children with any condition (e.g. spinal cord injury, seizure disorder or other neuromuscular disorder) that can compromise lung function, especially those attending special schools/day centres, children with Down syndrome, people on medication for asthma, severely obese people (BMI ≥40), pregnant women and people with haemoglobinopathies)
- Teach your child good health habits, as above. Ensure that all household surfaces that are touched by hands are kept clean, especially bedside tables, surfaces in bathrooms and kitchens and children’s toys. Such surfaces should be wiped regularly with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label.
Additional information can be accessed by clicking on the link below