Tips On Deciding If Your Child Is Too Sick For School

It's that time of year, a lot of bugs are going around and not to mention allergies. We are still at the start of the school year. But, do you ever wonder if you should call in sick or send the kids off to school?

We've heard the symptoms of the enterovirus start out like the common cold -- sneezing, a runny nose and a cough. Then they become more severe. Sometimes a rash comes on and the child will have difficulty breathing.

So we wanted to know when kids should stay home. Dr. Zak Zarbock uses a stop light analogy to help us decide.

“A red light no go is a fever of 101 or higher. A persistent cough disrupting activities. Fatigue, ill appearance any of those things. A yellow light: a fever is gone now for 24 hours, some runny nose but more of a sporadic cough. We see the energy come back they may be ok,” said Dr. Zarbock. “And then a green light mild clear runny nose with a very intermittent cough. Energy levels are back up they're good to go.”

We've heard how important it is to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Dr. Zarbock also reminds us to avoid touching our own face or nose, sneeze into your elbow or cover your mouth with a tissue so you can toss it out to help prevent the spread of viruses.