With so much sickness floating around schools and daycare centres, runny noses are a common sight. So, when do your kids need to stay at home, and when can they go to school?
abc.net.au/news/snot-colour-not-a-measure-of-illness-infectiousness-for-flu-cold/102472080When new mum Renee Fontana started her son Ned in childcare, she knew to expect regular illness, but was shocked by just how often her son got sick.When little Ned isn't well enough to attend, Renee has to call her mother to care for him so she can go to work.
So, when exactly do children, and adults, stop being contagious and when is it okay to return to work, school or childcare?Does snot turn green when you're sick, and clear when you're well?Your snot can change colour for a range of reasons and not always in line with the progress of illness, says Allen Cheng, the the director of Infectious Diseases at Monash Health."Often, viral infections give you a lot of snot and it's often clear.
When the body becomes unwell with a cold or flu, the immune system sends a type of white blood cell called a neutrophil to the site of the infection."Once they've done their job they die, then they get trapped in mucous."However, the depth of colour can change for reasons other than how severe your illness is.
"You could probably say you're infectious for somewhere between three and five days after the onset of symptoms," she said. All experts agree that what is coming out of your nose is not a good measure of how contagious you are. "In a lot of viral illnesses coughs and runny noses can last for weeks after the acute phase," he said.It can be hard to tell when to stay home with a cold.