to take my LO to the park....

[EatDessertFirst]

DD5 is off school for the first time since starting Reception in September so I may just be being paranoid (please tell me if I am!)

She has the 'face rash' stage of slap-cheek which is contagious so she is off so as not to spread the germs. She is absolutely fine otherwise.

DS3 and DD have been indoors all day and are driving me nuts and I'd like to take them out as the weather is nice. Do I need to worry about her being seen out when she is off school?

I thought once the rash was out it was no longer contagious.

www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1194947358374 - there is no exclusion period for slapped cheek.

I presume school are aware of the reason she is off? Ie because she's contagious rather than actually being poorly? Personally I'd take her providing there are no other children on the park at that time, because of exposing them to it.

You do not need to worry, take her as long as you wouldn't then be exposing people to the same risk that you're trying to avoid by not sending her to school.

While there's no exclusion period for slapped cheek, you never know if there are some vulnerable children or (early) pregnant women, so OP is doing the right thing keeping her child off- I think they are infectious till a couple of days after the face rash appears.

If she's contagious you shouldn't be going anywhere where pregnant women could be. So that rules out parks.

Stay at home.

Its contagious (according to my GP and the nhs website) only while the face rash is evident then its not once that has gone and the 'lacey' body rash emerges (if it does emerge).

The doctor advised me to keep her off for the rest of the week but after talking to the school they agreed just a couple of days till the face rash disappears should be fine. Like Chicken Pox it is also contagious before any rashes appear.

I wanted to take them in school hours to avoid contact with other children. Our local park is quiet during the weekday and pretty open so I can easily avoid other people. I was more worried about being reported in case she was seen.

Why are people so selfish? You could walk past someone in the street who is pregnant. Your dd is going to touch the park equipment that another child will use.

It's contagious. Just stay in.

I wasn't looking for a fight Anonymai. Just advice. If I was being selfish I would have sent her into school because she is not ailing and to avoid losing her 100% attendence record.

We are staying on now on the advice I have recieved.

If it is in its contagious stage then I thought yabu to take her to the park because you are risking infecting other kids as well as anyone you pass and as someone has rightly pointed out early stages of pg women are very vulnerable!

Can you not let your other kids into the garden or play dome indoors games with them to run off some energy?

I'm not starting a fight just because I offered an opinion you didn't like. It's just as selfish to expose other people to an illness (especially one that can cause pregnancy complications) just because your children are driving you nuts.

its spread by droplets of saliva in coughs and sneezes so as long as she stays away from others it would be fine. Theres no need to be OTT Anonymai.

you wouldnt pass it on to someone walking past unless you got in their face and coughed on them! Have a little perspective, please

I misunderstood your tone Anonymai. I apologise.

I'm not being OTT and I do have perspective. You don't have to cough in someone's face for them to get saliva droplets or germs. If that was true, people wouldn't have to practise good hygiene and wash their hands when they are ill.

According to the nhs website slapped cheek is not contagious. It is infectious.

Contagions and infections are spread differently.