Communicable Diseases

Communicable diseases are infectious diseases that pose a threat to public health, including emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, vaccine preventable agents, bacterial toxins, and pandemics.

Depending on the illness, schools are required to distribute exposure notices, exclude a child from school, and/or call the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

Copies of exposure notices can be found at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department Exposure Notices for Schools and Child Care webpage. Below is a list of communicable diseases with their exclusion criteria and when they're okay to return. More information about how to handle communicable disease cases and outbreaks can be found in the Santa Clara County Public Health Department Communicable Disease Case and Outbreak Toolkit.

Communicable Disease Exclusion Table

Disease/Condition	Exclusion	Return
Amebiasis	Yes	If not a food handler, 48 hours after symptoms resolve
Bed Bugs	No	N/A
Campylobacter	Yes	After diarrhea resolves
Chickenpox	Yes	After all blisters have scabs
C. diff	Yes	48 hours after diarrhea resolves
COVID-19	Yes, if symptomatic	Follow Covid Updates in the below drop down
Cryptosporidiosis	Yes	48 hours after symptoms resolve, and stay out of public swimming pools until 2 weeks after diarrhea resolves
E. coli	Yes	If not restricted, 48 hours after symptoms resolve
Giardia	Yes	48 hours after symptoms resolve
Hand, foot, and mouth disease	Yes, if symptoms include fever or uncontrolled drooling with mouth sores	After fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication; children should not return with difficulty or pain while eating or drinking
Head lice	Yes, but they do not need to be sent home immediately; they can stay until the end of the day	After receiving appropriate treatment
Hepatitis A	Yes	7 days after onset of jaundice (or onset of symptoms if no jaundice) and diarrhea resolves
HiB (Haemophilus influenzae type b) - Invasive	Yes	When 24 hours have passed after starting antibiotics and symptoms are improving
Impetigo	Yes, but they do not need to be sent home immediately; they can stay until the end of the day (keep blisters covered)	After starting appropriate treatment; keep blisters covered until they are dry
Influenza	No, unless case meets symptom-based exclusion criteria (see Student Illness webpage)	After exclusion criteria are resolved
Measles	Yes	Per direction of the Public Health Department
Meningococcal meningitis	Yes	Per direction of the Public Health Department
MRSA	No	N/A
Mumps	Yes	Per direction of the Public Health Department
Norovirus	Yes	If not a food handler and there is not an outbreak, after symptoms resolve
Parvovirus B19 (Fifth disease)	No, unless they have a fever	After fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication
Pertussis (Whooping cough)	Yes	After 5 days of appropriate antibiotic treatment
Pink eye (Conjunctivitis)	No	N/A
Pinworm	No	N/A
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)	No, unless case meets symptom-based exclusion criteria (see Student Illness webpage)	After exclusion criteria are resolved
Ringworm	Yes, but they do not need to be sent home immediately; they can stay until the end fo the day	General population: after starting treatment Athletes with tinea corporis: 72 hours after starting treatment unless the affected area can be covered
Roseola (Sixth disease)	No	N/A
Rotavirus	Yes	If not a food handler and there is not an outbreak, after symptoms resolve
Rubella	Yes	7 days after rash appeared
Salmonella	Yes	If not restricted, 48 hours after symptoms resolved
Scabies	Yes	After receiving appropriate treatment
Shingles	No, unless rash cannot be covered	When rash can be covered or when all lesions have crusted
Shigella	Yes	If not restricted, 48 hours after symptoms resolve
Strep throat/Scarlet fever	Yes	When 12 hours have passed after starting antibiotics and symptoms are improving
Typhoid/Paratyphoid fever	Yes	If not restricted, 48 hours after symptoms resolve

Covid Updates

COVID-19 Testing

Take Home Rapid Tests are available in the school offices until test kits run out.

Person with a COVID-19 Positive Test

Individuals with symptoms:

Remain at home for at least 24 hours from the day of symptom onset.
May return if 24 hours have passed with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications AND symptoms are mild and improving.
Students are recommended to wear a mask when around other people indoors for the 10 days after you became sick or tested positive. You may remove a mask sooner than 10 days if you have two sequential negative tests at least one day apart.
Staff are required to wear a mask at work for the 10 days after you became sick or tested positive.

Individuals with no symptoms:

There is no required isolation or exclusion.
If you develop symptoms later, follow the symptom guidelines above.
Students are recommended to wear a mask when around other people indoors for the 10 days after you became sick or tested positive. You may remove a mask sooner than 10 days if you have two sequential negative tests at least one day apart.
Staff are required to wear a mask at work for the 10 days after you became sick or tested positive.

Close Contact to a Person with COVID-19

May continue to attend school/work as long as they are not symptomatic.
Students and staff with symptoms must stay home and get tested immediately.
Students and staff with no symptoms who are also at a higher risk for severe COVID-19 are encouraged to test within 5 days.
If you are going to have contact with people who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19, you are encouraged to mask indoors around such people for 10 days and consider testing within 5 days after the last exposure and before contact with high-risk people.
Those with symptoms can return if test is negative once symptoms improve and no fever for at least 24 hours without fever reducing medication.

Resources

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

In the event that a case of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is reported at any PAUSD school, the PAUSD nursing team works very closely with the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health to respond to and prevent cases of pertussis from spreading. The PAUSD nursing team uses the public health department's protocol to ensure the health and well- being of all PAUSD students. Please use the following resources to learn more about Pertussis and how to prevent it:

Monkeypox (MPX)

Monkeypox (MPX) and Schools FAQ (source CDC)

Should settings serving children and adolescents worry about MPX?

At this time (updated 8/25/22), the risk of MPX to children and adolescents in the United States is low. MPX virus can infect anyone – including children – if they have close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact with someone who has MPX. Although less common in the current outbreak, MPX may also spread by touching contaminated objects (such as toys or eating utensils), fabrics (clothing, bedding, sleeping mats, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with MPX.

Should students, staff, and volunteers get vaccinated against MPX?

At this time, there is no need for widespread vaccination for MPX among children or staff at K-12 schools or early childhood settings.

Should a student, staff, or parent/guardian with a rash get tested for MPX?

Currently, the risk of MPX to children and adolescents is low. Several illnesses can cause a rash and fever in children, such as hand-foot-mouth disease and chickenpox (varicella). For a child without a known exposure to MPX, a fever and rash should be evaluated by a healthcare professional. A healthcare provider can determine what treatment or testing the child needs. It is important to avoid stigma and fear-based exclusion of children and adolescents.

There are also multiple potential causes of rashes in adults. Parents, teachers, and staff members should understand the symptoms of MPX and see a healthcare provider if they remain concerned.

What should I do if my child or I has a known exposure to MPX?

The Public Health Department will provide guidance for people exposed to MPX on how to monitor for symptoms. Unless a rash develops after exposure, there is not currently a test for MPX. If a rash develops, an individual should follow isolation and prevention practices until (1) the rash can be evaluated by a healthcare provider, (2) testing is performed, if recommended by the healthcare provider, and (3) results of testing are available and are negative.

If a child, parent, or teacher is being monitored for MPX due to an exposure, refer to “What should we do if someone being monitored for MPX develops symptoms?” for what to do in these situations.

When can someone with MPX return to school?

MPX causes a rash with lesions that eventually scab over. People with MPX should follow isolation and prevention practices until all scabs have fallen off, and a fresh layer of healthy skin has formed. This may take as long as 4 weeks after symptoms began. Parent(s)/guardian(s) should work with a healthcare provider and the Public Health to decide when the child or adolescent can return to the educational setting.

Staff or volunteers who have MPX should isolate and be restricted from the workplace according to CDC’s isolation and prevention practices.

For more information about MPX, please visit these Public Health webpages:

Lice

Lice are common age-old pests that are easily transferred from person to person. All age groups and localities are susceptible. If you discover a lice problem, please call your school office to help us keep the problem under control. Parents are encouraged to check their child's head for lice at home on a regular basis throughout the school year.

The problem of pediculosis, or head lice as it is more commonly known, is ongoing and requires education and treatment. However, head lice do not pose a risk of transmitting disease and are not a threat to health.

Recent research indicates that neither NO NIT policies nor mass school screenings prevent or shorten the length of lice outbreaks at school. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the California School Nurses Organization (CSNO) all oppose the NO NIT policy as well as mass school screenings.

The goals of the PAUSD policy is to include community education regarding prevention and management of head lice, early detection and prompt treatment of students with head lice, minimizing disruption to the educational program, and reducing student absences.

The brochure A Parent's Guide to Head Lice (Español) containing information regarding prevention, screening, recognition, and treatment of head lice is available at each school through the Main Office or Health Office.

Parents/Guardians may view educational videos at HeadLice.Org

If you have questions please contact Health Services.

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