Protecting Our Community Through Prevention and Response

Guidelines for Reporting – Schools and Daycare
Schools and day cares can play a major role in helping to reduce or prevent the incidence of illness among children and adults in our communities. Encouraging good hand hygiene and following cleaning recommendations contribute to a safe and healthy learning environment for children. When schools and day cares report illness to their local health department (LHD), public health specialists can assist them with disease prevention and control guidance. This document provides schools with general information on what steps they can take to prevent and control communicable disease.

Link to Report School and Daycare Communicable Diseases:
• Branch County
• Hillsdale County
• St. Joseph County

What diseases require reporting and when?
BHSJ CHA requires weekly aggregate reporting, but for certain diseases listed here we require reporting within 24hrs as stated in the manual, Managing Communicable Diseases in School.

You must immediately report the following diseases to our agency:

• Measles, mumps, rubella
• Pertussis
• Haemophilus influenzae Type B (Hib)
• Meningitis,
• Encephalitis
• Hepatitis
• Tuberculosis
• or any other serious or unusual communicable disease.

Am I required to report Communicable Diseases to the Health Department?

Michigan Law requires schools and childcare centers to report specific diseases according to Act No. 368 of the Public Acts of 1978, which states that physicians, laboratories, primary and secondary schools, child daycares, and camps are required to report the occurrence or suspected occurrence of any disease, condition, or infections as identified in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) CD rules to your LHD within 24 hours.

It is important for schools and daycares to report to their LHD for a number of reasons, including:

• To identify disease trends, outbreaks, and epidemics
• To enable preventative treatment and/or education
• To target prevention programs, identify care needs, and allocate resources efficiently
• To inform epidemiological practice and research
• To evaluate the success of long-term control efforts
• To assist with local, state, national, and international disease surveillance efforts

What does Michigan law state regarding children who are NOT vaccinated or up-to-date on their vaccine preventable immunizations as it relates to exclusion from participation in schools and/or daycares?
Michigan law states a teacher or principal shall not permit a child to enter or attend school unless a certificate indicating that a minimum of 1 dose of immunizing agent against each of the diseases specified by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has been received and certified to by a health professional or local health department. A parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis having a child registered with only these minimum doses of immunizing agents shall present an updated certificate of immunization within 4 months after initial attendance showing that the immunizations have been completed as prescribed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

When should a child be excluded from school or daycare?
As a general guidelines, children with fever (temp. 100.4°F or greater), vomiting, severe diarrhea or those too sick to have meaningful interaction should be excluded from school or daycare. Managing Communicable Diseases in School (hyperlinked below) provides guidance on pages 10-14 for the exclusion criteria of childhood illnesses.