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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask you how literally you take the 48 hr rule?

182 replies

lougle · 30/11/2013 17:35

So if your child is sick, how literally do you apply the 48hr rule?

If they were sick in the afternoon of Saturday, would you say 'no school on Sunday, back on Monday' or '48 hours after sickness is Monday afternoon, so back on Tuesday'?

If they are sick at 3am do you count that as 'Tuesday night' or 'Wednesday morning'?

etc.

OP posts:
baddyfreckleface · 01/12/2013 02:41

This is a relevant topic to me right now as dd started throwing up at half twelve tonight and is still going bless her. I bloody hate this stuff and am a shaking mess. I am Doug my best and DH is taking over but while I follow her round with disinfectant he is getting a noted at me nagging him I wash his hands!
We have a 20 month old and am stressing about her getting it too.

Dd is in reception. If she stops at say 3am (although looking doubtful!) do I send her tues or wed?

baddyfreckleface · 01/12/2013 02:41

Doing not Doug, he has nothing to do with it!

baddyfreckleface · 01/12/2013 02:42

And annoyed, not a noted. Sorry

BeaWheesht · 01/12/2013 05:37

Personally I'd give her until Wednesday

Twattyzombiebollocks · 01/12/2013 06:13

Depends. If its been a one off sickness episode for questionable reasons and there's no other indication of illness then I might send them back early (like if the sickness was 11am, I would send them in at 9am on the 2nd day after so a couple of hours short)
If it was def a bug and they had been ill with it then I actually wait 48 hours after the last sign of illness, be that vomiting, diarrhoea or a temp/headache/feeling unwell. D&v is so unpleasant to deal with and so contagious that I don't want to share it. That said I'm lucky that my ds (9) has had only one episode of d&v since he started school, and my dd 2 episodes (she's 7) so we have been very lucky

Original poster
lougle · 01/12/2013 08:47

baddyfreckleface I would say 48 hours after 3am on Sunday is 3am on Tuesday, so she can go to the next school day after that, which is Tuesday. If she was sick again at 9am on Sunday, then you'd need to wait until Wednesday (or take her in late on Tuesday).

OP posts:
ProudAS · 01/12/2013 09:05

I'd be interested to know whether a thorough scientific investigation has been done into the effectiveness of hygiene compared to the 48 hour rule. If people who don't bother with the latter don't bother with the former either then its going to be uncertain whether the former would have stopped the spread.

DH and I have never caught each other's D&V which is almost certainly down to hygiene as we share a kitchen, bathroom and bed.

ProudAS · 01/12/2013 09:08

If she was sick again at 9am on Sunday, then you'd need to wait until Wednesday (or take her in late on Tuesday).

That's being too literal. School starts round about 8:50 and a switch isn't going to magically flick within those 10 minutes to make her go from highly infectious to non infectious.

Original poster
lougle · 01/12/2013 09:13

but we've seen that when you start fudging the line, people start saying 'oh she was sick at 11, 2 hours won't make a difference....sick at 1pm, 4 hours won't make a difference...sick at 9pm, 12 hours won't make a difference...

OP posts:
ProudAS · 01/12/2013 09:32

If she was sick at 1pm take her in for the afternoon session. There is a difference between 4 hours and ten minutes.

hazeyjane · 01/12/2013 09:59

Proud, in hospital they adhere rigidly to the 48hr rule in a quarantine situation,even though there is a strict handwashing and gloves policy.

ProudAS · 01/12/2013 10:37

In a hospital I can understand.

What I was getting at is whether a scientific controlled study has been done as happened with colds a couple of decades ago.

Snog · 01/12/2013 10:43

Our school has a very aggressive policy re absence for any reason which makes me disinclined to keep my child at home for 48 hours if she is feeling fine.

MammaTJ · 01/12/2013 10:44

It depends which child! If DD, I stick to it 100%, if DS, I ignore it unless someone else in the house has a bug. He never does solid poos and can vom almost at will. He has thrown up in the playground, because he was anxious about having a new teacher, and then went in to school. There was nothing wrong with him, so it would have been stupid to take him home. Luckily the school now realise this.

Another time though, he was sick in the dining hall, and I judged he probably had a bug, so took him home. I was right. I have never been wrong so far on judging it.

insancerre · 01/12/2013 10:48

DD's school was once closed for 2 days because people simply would not follow the 48 hour rule.
It's 48 hours for a reason. Even if they look ok they might still be carrying the bug and be passing it on to other people.

ProudAS · 01/12/2013 10:52

I am dubious as to whether the 48 hour rule may be adversely affecting immunity within the general population - something else I'd like to see a study on.

grumpyoldbat · 01/12/2013 10:56

In general I'm pretty strict about it. However if they've only vomitted once and been completely well since then I'll maybe push it to 47 and a big bit hours eg if sick at 9:05 on Saturday I'd send them in but if sick at say 9:55 then I'd not send them in until the afternoon. Providing they weren't sick again obviously.

Rockinhippy · 01/12/2013 11:06

I'd be interested to know whether a thorough scientific investigation has been done into the effectiveness of hygiene compared to the 48 hour rule

I have had a similar conversation to that with a senior microbiologist friend, according to them there is very sound scientific reasoning for this ijiig verrule, but if course bugs vary & it won't be effective all of the time, because the incubation period of germs can vary & in some cases you have already passed it on, before you even know you have it - though they insisted in most cases it IS effective

Rockinhippy · 01/12/2013 11:07

Damn - DDs hamster just "corrected" & posted that Shock

NoComet · 01/12/2013 11:42

I'd have thought it was pretty pointless worrying if the whole school are already throwing up.

Did keep DD2 off with a virus that I'm sure came from friends at a different school. She felt awful and I'm certain her DFs didn't want it.

Also, I doubt my DDs wash their hands very well and I'm not one for excessive cleaning and we don't seem to get most of the D&V bugs. Missed last years that most of school got completely.

VivaLeBeaver · 01/12/2013 11:44

Dd's school only has a 24 hour rule.

We have a 24 hour rule at work (front line nhs), one of my colleagues has had three episodes of sickness in 12 months and has been told by her manager that even if she has d&v she's to come into work or else!

ZombieMojaveWonderer · 01/12/2013 11:46

Our school says 48hrs after the last puke or bout of diarrhoea. People react to sickness bugs in different ways. My youngest daughter had it first and she was sick for 18 hours I was next and I was sick for 48 hours my eldest was sick for 36 hours while her brother was sick for 6 hours and my husband was sick just twice. We all obviously caught it from each other even though we all washed hands and I disinfected everything anyone touched so when peeps send their kids in to school even though they have been sick the day before and give it to everyone else it makes me incredibly angry so thanks for that chaps.

Original poster
lougle · 01/12/2013 11:48

"I'd have thought it was pretty pointless worrying if the whole school are already throwing up."

The whole point is that these bugs are propogated by that thinking. Instead of just a few children getting it, they get it, return to school, give it to the next child who returns early and gives it to other children, reinfecting the ones who have already had it, etc.

OP posts:
Rockinhippy · 01/12/2013 11:54

We have a 24 hour rule at work (front line nhs), one of my colleagues has had three episodes of sickness in 12 months and has been told by her manager that even if she has d&v she's to come into work or else

That's disgusting viva the manager needs reporting, especially considering what you do & the fact that hospitals have notices up everywhere telling you to stay away if you have D&V - the 48 hour rule comes from the health authority too - I can't see why that would vary locally - that said DH has had similar problems with his workplace too, but that's a bank

Mattissy · 01/12/2013 12:02

We do the 48 hour rule here, but if that 48 hours lands on a morning I've been known to take them in for the afternoon session. School is happy for that to happen, attendance is taken twice a day.