Find out how long a child should stay home from childcare, preschool or after-school care for common infections, using the national NHMRC recommendations. Search a condition or a symptom.
It depends on the condition. NHMRC gives recommended minimum exclusion periods, for example until all chickenpox blisters have dried, until the day after starting treatment for school sores or scabies, and until there has been no diarrhoea or vomiting for 24 hours. These are minimums: a child may need to stay home longer to be well enough to return.
NHMRC says services are not required to follow letters from doctors stating that a child can return, and should not require a doctor's 'clearance' for a child to return. The service makes the decision, using the guidelines and its own policy.
Not necessarily. These are NHMRC recommendations for early childhood education and care services. Some states and territories have different or additional requirements, and Victoria's periods are set by regulation. Check your state's page or your public health unit.
These tables are only for children without serious symptoms. NHMRC says that if a child has any serious symptoms, call an ambulance (000) immediately.
For clinicians · Child immunisation schedule · Free vaccines by state
Source: National Health and Medical Research Council. Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services, 6th edition (2024), Tables 4.1 and 4.2, pages 77–92 © Commonwealth of Australia 2024, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Adapted by AskMyGP: wording shortened and reorganised; the meaning of each recommendation is unchanged. NHMRC has not reviewed or endorsed this page. Read the original at NHMRC.
General information, not medical advice. Check the original and your state before relying on any period.