Great question. And the answer, of course, is a bit complicated.
The CDC says that if a child has been fever-free for 24 hours, they can resume normal activities. However, they continue to "shed" the virus for between 2-8 days after that. "Shedding" the virus doesn't mean the same thing as "being contagious," but it is something to be aware of.
I am sure that within your household, you are making sure that the children don't share cups, glasses, silverware, toys or linens, and that they aren't kissing each other on the mouth. It is possible for the flu virus to live on a surface for a few hours, so there is a slight chance of your well child picking up the virus from a surface in the home and -- by touching another student or sharing a book, for instance -- to spread the virus. But it's a much much smaller rate of transmission than it would be normally.
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Anon,
Great question. And the answer, of course, is a bit complicated.
The CDC says that if a child has been fever-free for 24 hours, they can resume normal activities. However, they continue to "shed" the virus for between 2-8 days after that. "Shedding" the virus doesn't mean the same thing as "being contagious," but it is something to be aware of.
Here's some more information about this:
https://www.empowher.com/community/share/children-can-shed-h1n1-flu-virus-6-8-days-after-fever-cdc-says
I am sure that within your household, you are making sure that the children don't share cups, glasses, silverware, toys or linens, and that they aren't kissing each other on the mouth. It is possible for the flu virus to live on a surface for a few hours, so there is a slight chance of your well child picking up the virus from a surface in the home and -- by touching another student or sharing a book, for instance -- to spread the virus. But it's a much much smaller rate of transmission than it would be normally.
November 3, 2009 - 9:13amThis Comment
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