From passing stomach bugs to letting their little noses run wild, kids might as well be walking, talking germ bombs, racking up those school sick days like they're collecting Pokémon. Even worse, some 39% of mothers end up also taking sick days in order to care for their wee ones. If you feel like you're taking your kid to the doctor's office as much as you are soccer games or gymnastics practice, perhaps it's time to focus on fighting the illnesses that can keep our children from sitting at their desks and learning. And guess what? The most common of illnesses children face can be treated easily via telemedicine. 

Pink Eye

Itchy, oozy, and uncomfortable, pink eye is extremely contagious and is therefore no wonder the number one culprit for kids missing school. Inflammation occurs of the eyelid lining and white of the eye, resulting in redness, increased tear production, yellow discharge, and many unhappy kids. Around 3 million absences are credited to pink eye every year, and can be caused by bacteria, viruses, STDS, allergies, and other irritants. Pink eye is so contagious, in fact, it can take a week to overcome, with the added threat of passing it on to most likely everyone else in your house. Seeking medical attention early is the only way to keep the nastiness of pink eye at bay. 

And it all starts with prevention. Once you are aware pink eye is present, the only way to halt it from spreading is by frequent hand washing and making sure the pink eye patient does not touch the infected eyeball. You do not have to touch the eye of the infected person to pass it on. All it takes is touching a surface they have touched after not washing their hands. If a child is infected, you must turn into the hand washing police and limit how many things he or she touches around the house. 

On the bright side, pink eye is very easily diagnosed and treated through telemedicine. The treatment may vary depending on the cause of conjunctivitis, but typically involves warm compresses, allergy medications, and over-the-counter and prescription eye drops. When using your telemedicine benefits for the diagnosis of pink eye, you can receive treatment in a matter of minutes, ensuring your children get back to school and you can get back to work as soon as possible. 

Lice

Oh boy, isn't this just about every parents' worst nightmare? To make matters worse, late 2015 to early 2016 saw an emergence of what is known as "super lice" in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control, between 3 and 6 million children between the ages of 3 and 11 will battle head lice. In schools where students share everything from lockers to hats, it's easy for these irritating little nuisances to spread quickly and easily. Entire classrooms can become one giant, bustling lice metropolis. 

Head scratching is your first major giveaway of a potential lice infestation, and, if untreated, will only become more and more difficult to treat. They are easy to identify just by combing through the hair and examining the child's scalp - ground zero for where they lay their eggs. Treating head lice can be done with most over-the-counter remedies, but super lice are much more resistant to these treatments and may require a prescription.

With the advantages of telemedicine, you can talk with a physician within minutes who can diagnose and treat lice over the phone, advising you on how to prevent the spread in your household and your child's school. 

Strep Throat

Miserable, inconvenient, and the pain of thousand tiny stabbing knives are probably the best ways to describe a case of step throat. And just like the other two conditions discussed, it's extremely contagious. If they have yet to receive antibiotic treatment, students need to stay home for at least two days to prevent any possible spreading of the illness. With strep, early diagnosis is vital. Strep is to blame for sore throats for roughly 15 to 40% of children and 5 to 15% of adults, and is pretty obvious to diagnose - characterized by an extremely sore throat, fever, headache, and sometimes nausea and vomiting.

In most strep throat cases, a diagnostic throat swab or a culture may be required in order to be completely certain of the diagnosis. However, sometimes treatment can be prescribed on a purely presumptive basis, since the signs are so specific and intense. TelaCare' telemedicine physicians can advise on whether you can receive treatment over the phone or through an in-person examination. Wouldn’t it be remarkable to be able to scoot around paying a visit to the doctor or urgent care if you can? The treatment for strep throat is typically antibiotics, saltwater gargles, lots of rest, and increased intake of fluids until the symptoms subside. Any antibiotics recommended via telemedicine can be prescribed to any pharmacy of your choice.

Our Diagnosis

When you have a family, to say there are lots of germs floating around a house is an understatement, especially once your kids go back to school. Then it can be like living with the germs of everyone else in their class! The good news is many illnesses can be diagnosed and treated within minutes using your telemedicine benefits. When illness strikes your household, from pink eye, lice, step, and everything in between, we have your back.