Is Your Child Sick?®

If anyone in the home is sick, use preventative measures to limit further spread:

  • Wear masks when you must be around anyone with a virus that spreads through the air, such as cold and coughs. Infected people over 2 years should attempt to mask as much as possible. Use quality masks (well fitted N95, KN95 or KF94) to help protect the wearer from infection. 
  • Wash hands frequently. Hand sanitizers can also be used for most respiratory infections but are not effective against all infections, especially viruses that cause vomiting and diarrhea.
  • Wipe down countertops, handles, and other surfaces with a disinfectant frequently. Some germs, such as norovirus (which commonly causes vomiting and diarrhea) are not inactivated by commercial disinfectants. When vomiting or diarrhea is a concern, a bleach solution (1/2 cup chlorine bleach and one gallon of water) is recommended for disinfecting contaminated surfaces and items.
  • Clean toys: Plush toys can be washed in the washer machine. Solid plastic toys, like rubber rings, animal figures and building blocks and bricks can easily be cleaned in your dishwasher's top rack or cleaning products (Clorox or Lysol wipes, a cloth wet with a a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, 1/2 cup chlorine bleach and one gallon of water.) If a cleaning solution is used, follow the package directions. If bleach water is used, allow it to stay wet for 5 minutes before air drying. After fully cleaning, you can rinse with water to remove products.
  • ​Turn your home heating/cooling system's fan to "on" rather than "auto" to circulate air better.
  • If weather is appropriate, open windows. Just a crack helps!
  • Consider a HEPA filter box fan DIY air filter. If you need information about various filters, Clean Air Stars has a helpful spreadsheet.
  • Learn more about air quality from this video library from UC Davis.


What's going around? 
The Kansas Health Department has links to several different infectious disease trackers on their Surveillance page. Change the filter to your county.

Symptom Checker

Click on the part of the body of your child's symptoms to find out more.

KID Map Boy Head Boy Eyes Boy Mouth Boy Ears Boy Neck Or Back Boy Arms Boy Chest Boy abdomen Genital Area or Urinary Boy Legs Girl Head Eyes Mouth Ears Neck Chest Abdomen Legs Arms
A black and white line-art icon of a clinical thermometer.

Illnesses and Symptoms

Find out more about your child's symptoms or illness.

A black outline icon of a medicine bottle with a cross symbol and a capsule pill positioned in front of it.

Medicine Dosages

Find common dosages for your child's weight and age.

A black-and-white icon featuring a heart, a stethoscope, and a medical cross symbol.

What's Going Around?

Medical Library