Daycare - Flu "outbreak" - excluded?

[engineer_mom]

Does anyone know what is considered a flu "outbreak" in daycare/pre-schools/schools?

My DS is non-vaxed and the daycare I am trying to obtain a religious exemption from, just mentioned that in the event of a vaccine preventable outbreak (including flu) my DS would need to be excluded until it is eliminated. And their interpretation was if anyone in the whole center gets the flu (not just the room he would be in)!

Does that mean that my DS could be excluded for weeks at a time?!? My goodness. And even most parents believe that the flu vaccine doesn't work.

[JBaxter]

Well last year the flu vax didnt cover ANY of the flu viruses. I would ask if they could prove the flu that is going around is one of the ONLY 3 viruses the currently flu vax covers. You can prove that by the many articles that were on the net last year bout how th "missed" the flu viruses. OH an they should prove it is actually influnenza and not just a virus.

[columbusmomma]

Are you sure the flu vax is required for daycare??

[MsGrizzle]

I've been sending letters to my state health dept over this exact issue as they are planning to require flu shots for the little ones. I specifically asked them to include language that excludes the flu because there is no way the flu shot will ever eliminate all cases. I used last year as specific examples. We'll see what they end up doing. I feel your pain.

[laohaire]

Not only the concerns mentioned above, but another one: people say anything is the flu; they don't diagnose it accurately at all. I have a co-worker who has a poor immune system, and he calls in "sick with the flu" 3 or 4 times a year (no, he's not just playing hooky, he really does get sick - but he sincerely has no clue that he's not getting the flu every few months). I've also heard of people saying they have the "stomach flu" - are they going to consider that vaccine-preventable (yeah right)?

So, yes, this is really ridiculous if they are going to pull this.

Also, what if he DOES get the flu - can he come in after, once he has his immunity?

[columbusmomma]

Originally Posted by MsGrizzle

I've been sending letters to my state health dept over this exact issue as they are planning to require flu shots for the little ones. I specifically asked them to include language that excludes the flu because there is no way the flu shot will ever eliminate all cases. I used last year as specific examples. We'll see what they end up doing. I feel your pain.

I can't believe they are going to require it!! Hopefully Not!
It's good you are writing to them. I really disagree with the flu shot!!

[thepeach80]

Unless they require the flu vax, which I doubt the do, they would usually require the same things as your local school district, they can't exclude you. What do the do if it's a vaxed kid who gets the flu?

[engineer_mom]

Originally Posted by thepeach80

Unless they require the flu vax, which I doubt the do, they would usually require the same things as your local school district, they can't exclude you. What do the do if it's a vaxed kid who gets the flu?

*sigh*
NJ made the flu vac mandatory for preschools starting this month.

I can totally understand sending a sick kid home (and agree with it!) but how can you send non-vaxed kids home if someone had the flu. The flu is such a generic term for illness that fits the discription of fever, hot/cold feelings, throwing up, diarrehha, etc...
If a kid in my kid's room got the flu, I would guess my kid would most likely also get the flu, and therefore be sent home. But if it is a kid in another classroom...that's when things get fuzzy.

And what is legally a flu outbreak? *sigh* This feels so ridiculous.

[thepeach80]

That sucks. I guess it would come down to the parent demanding that they prove the child in question actually had the flu. AJ had the flu this past year and I didn't know what it was till I looked online. We'd never had it before, the true flu. We did end up going to the DR and it was confimred, but I suppose as a parent, unless they could prove that the child actually had the flu (this requires the parent actually taking that child to the DR and paying for the test) and they got a DRs note, I would keep sending my child. It's easier to prove cp or whatnot, like you said, most people don't even know what the real flu is.