Early Childhood Education and School Toolkits
What is Viral Gastroenteritis?
Reporting Viral Gastroenteritis Outbreaks
An outbreak of gastroenteritis is defined as:
- 3 or more linked individuals experiencing vomiting or diarrhea within a 5-day period.
- Individuals are considered linked if they have had contact with one another or been exposed to a common source and are not from the same household.
Viral Gastroenteritis Toolkit for Childcare Centers
Controlling Outbreaks of Viral Gastroenteritis in Schools: An outbreak of gastroenteritis is defined as 3 or more individuals experiencing vomiting or diarrhea at the same facility within a 5-day period. Individuals are considered linked if they have had contact with one another or been exposed to a common source (e.g., same classroom, grade level, sports team, etc.) and are not from the same household.
What is a Respiratory Illness?
Respiratory illnesses are infections of the respiratory (breathing) system, caused by viruses or bacteria with an incubation period of 3 to 15 days.
This toolkit will focus primarily on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza (flu). The nonpharmaceutical recommendations in this document can also help schools and childcare centers reduce and respond to the occurrence and spread of other respiratory illnesses, including rhinovirus, enterovirus D68, metapneumovirus, as well as other viruses and bacteria that can cause respiratory illness.
Reporting Respiratory Illness Outbreaks
All suspected outbreaks of non-COVID-19 acute respiratory illness such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza (flu) should be immediately reported to the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services. For more information about reporting COVID-19 outbreaks, please visit Schools (longbeach.gov).
An outbreak of respiratory illness is defined as:
- a facility with at least 10% of its total average daily attendance absent with respiratory illness over a 3-day period or
- 5 or more epidemiologically linked cases (e.g., same classroom, sports team, etc.) over a 3-day period with each person experiencing at least 2 flu-like symptoms (i.e., fever or signs of fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, or muscle aches)
If an outbreak is identified immediately report to the Long Beach Health Department’s Communicable Disease Surveillance and Control Division at (562) 570-4302.
Respiratory Illness Toolkit
Prevention & Control of Respiratory Illness in Schools & Childcare Centers