Health & Human services

Early Childhood Education and School Toolkits

What is Viral Gastroenteritis?

Reporting Viral Gastroenteritis Outbreaks

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