A recent survey by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that daycare workers unnecessarily sent children home due to illness 57% of the time. The survey got Centra Care doctors wondering if parents know when they should keep their child at home, or send them to school.

This week, Gastroenteritis in children is What’s Going Around. Centra Care physicians have seen an increase in the illness at the following centers:

Gastroenteritis in Children: Doubled across ALL centers, and is:

Up 500% - Formosa & Sanford
Up 300% - Waterford Lakes
Up 200% - Azalea Park & Kissimmee

Below is a brief summary on gastroenteritis, but because this topic was just covered a few weeks ago, Centra Care physicians thought it might be helpful to create a mini-quiz (not all related to gastroenteritis) to see if parents know when they should keep their children at home when they fall ill.

LEARN MORE:

Often called stomach flu, Gastroenteritis is caused by an intestinal virus -- not the influenza virus. You can become ill by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, though, poor hand washing most commonly transmits viruses. Abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and a low-grade fever are common symptoms; and, the illness often leads to dehydration. Children need to be reminded to wash their hands frequently, and not to share beverages and eating utensils. Also, because of close contact with your children, parents need to be diligent about hand washing.

QUIZ: Stay or Send to School? 
Questions:

1. While getting ready for school in the morning, your child has two episodes of diarrhea.
2. Your child has a fever (temperature greater than 100 degrees) but no symptoms other than feeling miserable.
3. The previous evening your child vomited once but there was no abdominal pain, fever, or diarrhea. Today they wake up happy and hungry.
4. Your child’s eye is red, but is otherwise free of any pain, swelling, or drainage.
5. All weekend your child has had the sniffles and an occasional cough, but no fever. They have been active and in good spirits.

Answers:

1. Stay - Diarrhea in children is usually caused by a virus. Your child will probably have more episodes during the day, which will make them uncomfortable and unable to participate in school activities. Since the virus is transmitted directly from child to child and indirectly on contaminated surfaces, the other parents will appreciate you keeping your child out of school until the diarrhea completely resolves.
2. Stay - Children will get fevers with a wide variety of infections, ranging from a common cold to influenza to strep throat. It is best to keep the child at home until the fever has completely resolved. You should have the child checked out by a doctor if the fever persists more than a couple of days, or if they develop other symptoms like a sore throat, rash, headache, vomiting, or if they are just plain miserable.
3. Send - A single episode of vomiting is often brought on by disagreeable foods, excitement, or overexertion. Since there has been no further vomiting or other
   symptoms, it is unlikely your child has an intestinal infection.
4. Stay - Conjunctivitis (pink eye) can be caused by either viruses or bacterial. Most schools have policies requiring a doctor’s clearance to return to school. Both bacterial and viral conjunctivitis are contagious.
5. Send or Stay - This can be a tough call for a parent. Generally, if a child is feeling too crummy to participate in school activities, then you should keep them home. Upper respiratory viruses run rampant through schools. The best way to limit their spread is to teach our children good hand washing habits.

If you need to see a doctor, Centra Care’s new No Wait, Online Reservations allows you to secure a time at any of our locations that fits with your schedule. Now if you or a family member is sick or injured, you can schedule to see a doctor during your lunch break, after work, in between classes, on the weekend, or whenever is convenient for you. There are 18 Centra Care Urgent Care locations – and a Florida Hospital certified physician on site
– 7 Days a Week. For more information visit: www.CentraCare.org

Sincerely,


Florida Hospital Centra Care
407-200-CARE (2273)
To learn more about "What's Going Around" in our community you can listen to the Centra Care Senior Medical Director each Tuesday morning between 8am and 8:30am on 88.3FM radio - Z88.3