With back-to-school season upon us and the coronavirus pandemic still very much present, many of us are worried about what to do if our little ones seem unwell. The good news is that Dr. Sumi Dunne, GP and Operation Transformation mentor, has given us some guidance to help clear up any confusion.
“If you feel your child is unwell, particularly if they suddenly develop a high temperature, a new cough, please keep them at home,” Sumi explained at the National Public Health Emergency Team’s briefing yesterday evening.
“Don’t dose them with paracetamol, don’t dose them with ibuprofen and send them into school,” she warned.
However, we know too well how easy it is for kids to pick up a cold and a runny nose that just won’t go away. “In that instance if the child is well, and they are not having a temperature, there is no reason why they cannot go to school, or why they cannot attend preschool or creche,” Sumi said.
The HSE have advised that parents should only keep their children at home if: the child has a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more; has any other common symptoms of coronavirus such as a new cough, loss or changed sense of taste or smell, or shortness of breath; has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus or has been living with someone who is unwell and may have coronavirus.
As an extra precaution, this year all children aged 2 to 12 years will be offered the children's nasal flu vaccine free of charge. See hse.ie/flu for more details.
