Sniffle Solutions

For you and the other parents of the kids in this class, the first thing to do is check to see if your child might have already come down with the flu. Take your child’s temperature and watch for a fever of more than 100 degrees. When it’s the flu, either H1N1 or seasonal, a temperature is usually combined with a cough and sore throat, so listen for coughs or complaints about it hurting to swallow.

If you do see signs of the flu, isolate your child from the rest of the class immediately. Don’t send your child back to school until the flu is completely gone. That means until he’s been fever-free for 24 hours, without taking any fever-reducing medications.

On the other hand, if your child is well, the most important thing to do is re-emphasize proper germ control techniques, such as frequent hand washing and wiping your nose with a tissue rather than your hand.