Back to school advice for North West parents

As levels of winter illnesses including flu, COVID-19 and norovirus continue to rise, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is reminding parents of five simple steps that can be taken to reduce cases in the community, help children make a healthy start to the year and minimise the impact of illness on attendance as schools head back and parents return to work.

Dr Merav Kliner, Regional Deputy Director for UKHSA NW, said: “During the winter period, we see an increase in some of the common seasonal viruses which can disrupt children’s education and cause more serious illnesses.

“As children head back to school, there are steps parents and families can take to keep a healthy household this January whilst also preventing infections from spreading when children are poorly. By following this guidance, parents are also protecting the wider community.”

Teach good hygiene habits

Encouraging good hand-washing habits is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread. Regularly wash hands in soap and warm water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser when convenient to help.

Building on good hygiene habits, using a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes before binning it and washing hands will prevent infection from spreading.

The e-bug resources for all ages can help you to explain and discuss hygiene habits – and why they are important – to your child or teenager.

Stopping the spread of stomach bugs

Along with rising cases of norovirus, UKHSA has also been seeing higher levels of other gastrointestinal infections, such as Shiga toxin-producing E.coli.

If you or your child have diarrhoea and vomiting, washing your hands with soap and warm water and using bleach-based products to clean surfaces will help stop infections from spreading. Don’t prepare food for others if you have symptoms or for 48 hours after symptoms stop. If you are unwell, you should avoid visiting people in hospitals and care homes to avoid passing on the infection in these settings. Do not return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped.

Know when to spot the signs of when to keep your child at home keep your child home

Whilst children are encouraged to stay in education or childcare with symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or slight cough (if otherwise well and do not have a high temperature), children should stay home from school or nursery if they’re displaying the following symptoms:

• If your child has a fever and is unwell, they should stay home from school or nursery until the fever has resolved and they are well enough to attend
• If your child has diarrhoea and/or vomiting, they should stay off school or nursery for at least 48 hours after their symptoms clear up – this will help stop the spread of stomach bugs.
• At this time of year, other types of illnesses that circulate are scarlet fever and chickenpox, as cases usually peak in late winter and early spring. Scarlet fever symptoms include sore throat, swollen neck glands, a bumpy rash on the tummy, flushed cheeks and ‘strawberry tongue’. If you suspect your child has scarlet fever, contact your local GP and stay away from nursery or school for 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotics. Chickenpox is highly contagious, with the most common symptom being an itchy, spotty rash. If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over.

Get vaccinated 

All primary-aged children, children aged 2-3 and children aged 2-17 with long-term health conditions are eligible for the flu vaccine until 31st March 2024.

Vaccine uptake amongst young children is one of the lowest, despite the illness being more serious for this age group in some cases. Vaccination offers the best protection against flu and is given as a quick and painless nasal spray for children. Similar to the flu vaccine, there has been a drop in uptake of routine childhood immunisations, which protect children against diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria and polio.

You can take a look at the childhood vaccination schedule to make sure your child is up to date with all other vaccinations - NHS vaccinations and when to have them.

Use NHS resources

NHS UK provides easily accessible guidance for parents to help manage winter illness at home: Is my child too ill for school?