Public Health Devon is urging parents and carers not to send their children back to school in January if they are feeling unwell or showing symptoms of flu or winter sickness.

Schools have seen higher levels of flu among pupils and staff so far this winter, with more outbreaks reported to health professionals than usual.

Dr Radha Modgil, NHS GP and broadcaster, said: “Parents and carers understandably want to make sure their child is well enough for school and that they’re not passing any illness or infection onto classmates. But it can sometimes be difficult to know when to send them, or not.

“The NHS has some really useful guidance to help you. It’s usually fine to send your child to school if they have mild cold symptoms such as a runny nose or a slight cough as long as they don’t have a high temperature (38C degrees or above) and are otherwise well.”

There are, however, times when children are unwell, and to prevent infections from spreading to others, it is important that they stay at home for a short period. Some of these include fever,diarrhoea and vomiting. Health professionals advise that children should stay home for at least 48 hours after symptoms have stopped.

Steve Brown, director of Public Health Devon, said: “We know that children are keen to return to school after the holidays, but if they feel unwell and have a high temperature, diarrhoea or vomiting, please keep them at home until any temperature has gone and for 48 hours after diarrhoea or vomiting symptoms have passed. This helps protect their classmates, teachers, and the wider community from unnecessary illness, and also speeds up their own recovery.”

Parents are also reminded to encourage good hygiene practices, such as regular handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes, to help prevent the spread of seasonal viruses.

Visit the NHS website for more information.