Do YOU know when your child is too poorly to go to school?
- A survey of 1,422 parents has revealed the varying opinions of how ill is too ill
- Some 12% believe flu-like symptoms are enough to warrant a school absence
- But 2 in 5 were reluctant to keep their child at home if they were vomiting
- Parents say time off depends on how contagious they deem the bug to be
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
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Deciding if your child is too poorly to attend school is a difficult dilemma.
But opinions vary dramatically between parents for different symptoms, a new survey has found.
One in five will allow their youngster to attend school if they display signs of diarrhoea.
And just 12 per cent believe flu-like symptoms – which can often be passed on – are enough to warrant an absence.
Whether or not they get given a day off by their parents is dependent on how contagious they are thought to be.
One in five parents will allow their youngster to attend school if they display signs of diarrhoea, a new survey has found
A poll of 1,422 parents was conducted by University of Michigan researchers to understand what makes parents likely to grant their child time off.
It found that three quarters reported keeping their youngsters away from school at least once in the past year.
But slightly more than two in five were reluctant to keep their child at home if they were vomiting.
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And if they displayed signs of a fever, 49 per cent would keep them away from their studies.
However, both of these could be caused by a contagious infections – and could pose a risk to other children.
Study author Gary Freed said: ‘Parents often have to make a judgment call about whether their child’s sickness warrants staying home.
However, just 12 per cent believe flu-like symptoms – which can often be passed on – are enough to warrant an absence
‘We found that the major considerations were whether attending school could negatively impact a child’s health or the health of classmates.
‘It can be difficult to predict if a child will feel worse after going to school or how long symptoms of minor illnesses will last, so parents are often basing decisions on their best guess.’
THE HACKING COUGH
A hacking cough plaguing thousands of people across Britain could be caused by the adenovirus which can lead to pneumonia, an expert warned last week.
GP surgeries across Britain have reported seeing a large number of patients with a nasty cough, which cannot be treated with antibiotics.
John Oxford, an emeritus professor of virology at Queen Mary University of London, has blamed the adenovirus for the outbreak.
Not wanting to miss work was another factor in preventing children from being given time off.
Some 11 per cent of parents reported this as a reason for sending their youngsters to school with symptoms.
While not being able to find a capable person to look after their smaller children was a concern for 18 per cent.
But only 6 per cent said that they made their child attend to make the most of the after-school activities.
This comes after primary schools were found to be plagued with high levels of bacteria that can make children ill.
Rentokil Specialist Hygiene analysed levels of bacteria in a large primary school based in the south of England in November.
They found equipment, chairs and door handles all contain amounts exceeding what is considered normal by health officials.
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