How to use this tool
- Check the emergency signs first. If any apply, stop and call 112 or your local emergency number.
- Choose the country where the nursery, school or job is.
- Choose the setting: nursery, school, work, food handling or healthcare work.
- Choose the illness, ideally one a doctor or pharmacist has named.
- Enter the date the rule counts from, such as the day the rash appeared or the time of the last vomiting.
- Read the result, which setting the rule covers, and what to tell the nursery, school or employer.
How does the contagious period calculator work?
It looks up the rule your country's public health body publishes for that illness and that setting. If a rule gives a count, such as 48 hours, it adds the count to your date. If the rule is a condition, such as "until the spots have crusted", it shows the condition instead of a date.
The calculator never fills a gap with another country's rule. Exclusion rules differ across Europe. A rule from England tells you nothing reliable about a nursery in Spain or a school in Poland.
When we could not confirm a rule, you will see this message: "We could not confirm a national rule for this illness in [your country]. Ask your school, nursery or employer, or your doctor." That is a real answer, not an error. In many countries, the nursery, school or local health office sets the rule.
Many national rules cover only young children. Sweden's factsheet is for preschool. Norway's pages are about kindergarten. Lithuania's rule covers preschool groups. The result always tells you which setting the rule covers, so you do not apply a preschool rule to an office job.
Rules are written in different ways, so results come in four types:
| Result type | What it means | Example from official guidance |
|---|---|---|
| A date | The rule counts from a fixed point | England: back 48 hours after diarrhoea and vomiting stop |
| A date plus a condition | You need both the count and the condition | Germany: 7 days after chickenpox starts, and all blisters crusted |
| A condition only | No count is given | Sweden: back when no new blisters appear and existing ones have dried |
| No set time away | Guidance says the illness alone is no reason to stay home | England: head lice and conjunctivitis need no time off nursery or school |
How long should a child stay off nursery or school after diarrhoea and vomiting?
In the countries where we found a rule, the answer is usually 48 hours after the last episode. That is the rule in England, Norway, Estonia and Slovenia, and Sweden asks for two symptom free days before preschool.
The count starts from the last time your child was sick or had diarrhoea, not from when they started to feel better. Children often perk up a day before they stop being infectious.
Germany's state table gives 48 hours after symptoms stop for norovirus. Under section 34 of the Infection Protection Act, children under 6 with infectious gastroenteritis may not attend. In Tyrol, Austria, the provincial guide gives 2 days after symptoms stop for stomach infections such as norovirus.
France is different. Its national guide says viral gastroenteritis needs no exclusion from group settings, although attending during the acute phase is not desirable. Two bacterial causes, EHEC and Shigella, do need exclusion, and return needs a medical certificate showing two negative stool tests.
If you enter a time with the last episode, the calculator gives you a date and a time. If you leave the time blank, it assumes late evening, so the date can only move later, never earlier.
How long is chickenpox contagious, and when can a child go back?
Rules differ more for chickenpox than for any other illness here. Some countries count days from the rash. Others wait until the spots have dried or crusted.
- England: 5 days after the rash first appears.
- Italy: 5 days from the start of the rash, under the national circular.
- Estonia: 5 days after the rash appears, once there are no new spots and existing ones have crusted.
- Slovenia: 5 days after the rash appears, or earlier once there are no fresh blisters and all have dried.
- Germany: one week after onset, and once all blisters have crusted.
- Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Ireland: no count; back when spots have dried or crusted and the child is well.
- Netherlands: national guidance says exclusion from school or childcare is generally not necessary.
The calculator counts the day the rash appeared as day 0. So a rash that appears on a Monday gives a 5 day result of Saturday, and the first school day after that is Monday.
For adults in the UK, NHS advice is to stay off work until all the spots have formed a scab. While infectious, avoid newborn babies, anyone pregnant and people with a weak immune system.
When can a child go back to school after scarlet fever?
Usually 24 hours after starting antibiotics, if they feel well. That is the rule in England, Estonia and Slovenia. Ireland, Iceland and Germany add conditions: the child must be fever free or symptom free as well.
Italy's national circular gives 48 hours after starting antibiotics. Norway asks for at least one day of antibiotic treatment and the child feeling well. Finland gives one day after starting antibiotics, for daycare or work, if the person's condition allows.
For adults in the UK, NHS advice is to stay away for 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotics. Enter the date and time of the first dose, not the time you saw the doctor.
Finish the full course of antibiotics your doctor prescribed, even after your child goes back. The return date is about spread, not about the infection being fully treated.
Can a child go to nursery or school with conjunctivitis or head lice?
Often yes. England's guidance needs no exclusion for either. France needs no exclusion for conjunctivitis. Norway and the Netherlands need no exclusion for head lice.
Other countries set limits:
- Conjunctivitis in Sweden: stay home if the eyes are heavily sticky and need wiping several times a day. Mild cases can attend preschool.
- Conjunctivitis in Norway: only heavy, pus filled cases need time off, until the discharge has decreased.
- Conjunctivitis in Slovenia: bacterial cases return 48 hours after starting antibiotics. Viral cases can go to kindergarten once there is no discharge, and to school with no restriction.
- Conjunctivitis in Ireland: no need to stay away from work or school unless very unwell. Check that the childcare provider can look after your child.
- Head lice in Estonia: at least 12 hours after treatment starts.
- Head lice in Sweden: after treatment, once a lice comb check shows it worked.
- Head lice in Italy: until treatment starts, as certified by the treating doctor.
- Head lice in Germany and Tyrol: after correct treatment.
In Germany, a doctor's certificate for conjunctivitis may be asked for during an outbreak. Iceland's health portal asks you to tell the school or preschool about head lice, so other parents can be told.
How long should a child stay off with impetigo?
Most rules link return to antibiotics or to the sores drying. England allows return once all blisters have scabbed, or 2 days after starting antibiotics, whichever comes first.
- Germany: at the earliest 24 hours after starting antibiotics, once weeping areas have dried; without antibiotics, after healing.
- Estonia: 48 hours after starting antibiotics, or once crusts form.
- Slovenia: once sores have dried, or 48 hours after starting antibiotics.
- Finland: 24 hours after starting antibiotics by mouth, or 48 hours after starting treatment on the skin. This covers daycare and work.
- Iceland: once the rash is dry and the crusts have fallen off; with antibiotics, daycare 24 hours after the first dose.
- France: no exclusion if the sores can be covered; if they are too extensive, 72 hours after starting antibiotics.
- Sweden and Norway: back when sores are dry and healing; no count.
For adults in the UK, NHS advice is to stay away until 48 hours after starting treatment. The calculator asks whether the antibiotic is taken by mouth or put on the skin only where the rule depends on it.
How long should you stay off with a fever or flu?
Most rules are about the fever, not the cough. England, Norway and Slovenia say stay away until the child is better and has no temperature. None of them gives a count.
Some countries do count from the end of the fever:
- Sweden: at least one day without fever, without fever reducing medicine, then the child's general condition decides.
- Greece: at least 24 hours after the fever has gone, without fever reducing medicine, for symptoms of acute respiratory infection.
- Latvia: once there have been no symptoms for at least 24 hours after a fever.
- Tyrol, Austria: for flu, when there is no fever, about 7 days after symptoms start, if the child is well.
Estonia's Health Board says a child with a temperature over 37.3 C is not sent to kindergarten or school. In France, flu needs no exclusion from group settings, but attending during the acute phase is not desirable.
For adults in the UK, NHS advice is to stay home until you no longer have a high temperature, which is usually 38C or above. Get an urgent appointment if a fever lasts 5 days or more, or will not come down with paracetamol.
When can you go back to work after an infection?
National exclusion tables are mostly written for children. For adults, we found confirmed rules in only a few countries. The calculator shows those rules for work, and the fallback message everywhere else.
| Illness | United Kingdom (NHS advice) | Ireland (Health Service Executive) | Finland (Institute for Health and Welfare) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chickenpox | Until all spots have formed a scab | No confirmed rule for work | No confirmed rule |
| Fever or flu | Until the high temperature has gone | No confirmed rule | No confirmed rule |
| Diarrhoea and vomiting | 2 days after the last episode | 48 hours after symptoms passed (norovirus) | No confirmed rule |
| Conjunctivitis | No confirmed rule | No need to stay away unless very unwell | No confirmed rule |
| Scarlet fever | 24 hours after the first antibiotic dose | Temperature normal, no other symptoms, at least 24 hours after the first dose | One day after starting antibiotics, if condition allows |
| Impetigo | 48 hours after starting treatment | Stay home while contagious, no count given | 24 hours after antibiotics by mouth, or 48 hours after treatment on the skin |
| Head lice | No confirmed rule | No confirmed rule | No confirmed rule |
Your employer's sickness policy still applies. It may set a longer time away, ask you to call in a set way, or ask for a note.
In Germany, section 34 of the Infection Protection Act also stops staff who have one of the listed infections from working with children in childcare and schools. That rule protects the children, and the facility will tell staff what it needs.
If you are not sure whether to go in at all, try our am I too sick to work quiz.
What are the rules for food handlers and healthcare staff?
Food handlers have the clearest rules we could confirm, from the UK Food Standards Agency. Staff who handle food must report illness straight away. Managers must keep staff with diarrhoea or vomiting away from open food, normally for 48 hours from when symptoms stop naturally.
UK food handlers must also report stomach pain, nausea, fever, jaundice, infected skin, nose or throat, and a household member with diarrhoea or vomiting. Anyone with infected wounds, skin infections or sores must not handle food where they could contaminate it. Staff may need to stay off longer with more serious infectious diseases.
Outside the UK, we have not checked food safety rules. The calculator shows any general work rule we found for your country, and tells you to ask your manager or local food safety authority.
For healthcare staff, we could not confirm a separate national rule in any country. Your occupational health team will have its own policy. Follow it, and tell occupational health before your shift, not when you arrive.
Contagious illness rules in all 42 countries
These tables show, for every country we cover, which settings the national rule covers and which illnesses we could confirm. Guidance last checked .
Where a cell says "Ask your school, nursery or employer", we could not confirm a national rule. That does not mean no rule exists. It may be set by a region, a local health office, the school, or the nursery.
Western Europe
| Country | Who the rule covers | Confirmed rules | Certificates and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Nursery and school in England; adults at work (NHS); food handlers | All seven illnesses for children in England. Adults: chickenpox, fever, diarrhoea and vomiting, scarlet fever, impetigo | Phone the school or nursery on the first day. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Ireland | Varies by illness: school and childcare, work, or general | Chickenpox, diarrhoea and vomiting (norovirus), conjunctivitis, scarlet fever, impetigo (no count) | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| France | Children's group settings | Fever or flu, diarrhoea and vomiting, conjunctivitis, impetigo | Settings cannot ask for a certificate of non contagion; a certificate is needed only after EHEC or Shigella |
| Germany | Childcare and schools | Chickenpox, diarrhoea and vomiting, conjunctivitis, scarlet fever, impetigo, head lice | Tell the facility without delay; a written certificate is generally not needed for the child |
| Netherlands | School and childcare | Chickenpox and head lice: exclusion not necessary | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Belgium | Set by each community | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Luxembourg | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Austria | Tyrol children's facilities only | Tyrol: chickenpox, flu, diarrhoea and vomiting, head lice | Notifiable diseases need clearance by a public health doctor or the treating doctor |
| Switzerland | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
Nordic countries
| Country | Who the rule covers | Confirmed rules | Certificates and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | Preschool only | Chickenpox, fever, diarrhoea and vomiting, conjunctivitis, impetigo, head lice | Staff judgement decides when parents and staff disagree |
| Norway | Kindergarten | All seven illnesses | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Denmark | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Finland | Daycare and work | Scarlet fever and impetigo | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Iceland | School and preschool | Chickenpox, scarlet fever, impetigo, head lice (no exclusion stated) | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
Central Europe
| Country | Who the rule covers | Confirmed rules | Certificates and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Czechia | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Slovakia | School absence rules only | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Up to 5 school days in a row excused without a doctor's certificate (7 for compulsory preschool), within half year limits |
| Hungary | Nursery and school absence rules only | Ask your school, nursery or employer | The doctor decides how long the child stays away; illness absence is excused with a doctor's certificate |
| Slovenia | Kindergarten and school | Chickenpox, fever or flu, diarrhoea and vomiting, conjunctivitis, scarlet fever, impetigo | Parents sign a statement that the child is healthy before return |
Baltic states
| Country | Who the rule covers | Confirmed rules | Certificates and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estonia | Childcare; fever and head lice also school | All seven illnesses | Family doctors have no legal duty to issue an absence document |
| Latvia | Education institutions | Fever after a mild respiratory infection | Schools are asked not to require doctor's notes after mild viral infections |
| Lithuania | Preschool groups | Not admitted with signs of acute illness, diarrhoea or vomiting, or lice; no return period | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
Southern Europe
| Country | Who the rule covers | Confirmed rules | Certificates and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Portugal | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Italy | Children's communities such as nursery and school | Chickenpox, scarlet fever, head lice | Some regions require a certificate to return; Lazio does for listed diseases such as chickenpox, scarlet fever and head lice |
| Greece | Nurseries and schools | Fever with acute respiratory infection | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Cyprus | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Malta | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
South East and Eastern Europe
| Country | Who the rule covers | Confirmed rules | Certificates and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | Kindergarten absence rules only | Ask your school, nursery or employer | After illness, children bring a certificate of a health check by the preschool doctor |
| Romania | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Bulgaria | Kindergarten and nursery admission only | Ask your school, nursery or employer | A child with symptoms of a contagious disease is not admitted at the daily check |
| Albania | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Montenegro | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| North Macedonia | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Serbia | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Moldova | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Ukraine | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
Microstates
| Country | Who the rule covers | Confirmed rules | Certificates and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andorra | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Liechtenstein | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| Monaco | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
| San Marino | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer | Ask your school, nursery or employer |
In Austria, we checked only Tyrol, and the calculator uses its rules only when you choose Tyrol. In Germany, the periods come from one state's table based on federal recommendations, and your state may publish its own.
Do you need a doctor's note to go back to school or nursery?
Usually not for a short illness, but it depends on the country and the setting. Several national rules say so directly.
France's national guide says a group setting cannot ask for a certificate of non contagion, and doctors should not write one. Germany's state guidance says a written certificate is generally not needed for the child. Latvia's Ministry of Health asks schools not to require doctor's notes after mild viral infections.
Other countries do use notes. In Slovenia, parents sign a statement that the child is healthy. In Croatia, children absent from kindergarten through illness bring a certificate of a health check by the preschool doctor. In Hungary, illness absence is excused with a doctor's certificate. In Slovakia, up to five school days in a row can be excused without one.
If the school or nursery just needs to know why your child was away, our school absence letter generator writes a short note for you.
Worked example: one stomach bug, one rash, one job
These examples use hypothetical families and real published rules.
Ava, 7, school in England, diarrhoea and vomiting.Ava was last sick at 9pm on Monday 12 October 2026. The calculator adds 48 hours, which gives 9pm on Wednesday 14 October. Her result reads: "Earliest return: Thursday 15 October 2026. This rule covers children's settings in England."
Leon, 3, nursery in Germany, chickenpox.Leon's rash appeared on Saturday 10 October 2026. The calculator adds 7 days, which gives Saturday 17 October. It shows "First weekday on or after this date: Monday 19 October", and adds "and only once all blisters have crusted". The note says parents must tell the nursery without delay.
Mika, adult, office job in Finland, scarlet fever.Mika took the first antibiotic dose at 8am on Tuesday 13 October 2026. The rule is one day after starting antibiotics, if his condition allows. His result reads: "Earliest return: Wednesday 14 October 2026, from 8am, and only once your condition allows." Under the result he sees the sick leave certificate option and the return to work waitlist.
Lucía, 6, school in Spain, chickenpox.We have no confirmed national rule for Spain. Her result reads: "We could not confirm a national rule for this illness in Spain. Ask your school, nursery or employer, or your doctor." The calculator does not borrow England's 5 day rule or Italy's.
When to see a doctor straight away
Some signs need emergency help, not a return date.
Call 112 or your local emergency number if your child or you have:
- difficulty breathing, or breathing that looks very fast or hard work
- a rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it
- a fit or seizure, or is very hard to wake
- a stiff neck with a high temperature or a bad headache
- blue, pale or blotchy skin
- confusion, or not responding as usual
- signs of serious dehydration, such as no wee for many hours in a young child
- vomiting blood, or vomit that looks like ground coffee
Get urgent medical advice the same day if someone cannot keep fluids down or has blood in their diarrhoea. Do the same if vomiting lasts more than 2 days, or diarrhoea more than 7 days. For an adult, get an urgent appointment if a fever lasts 5 days or more, or will not come down with paracetamol.
If any emergency sign is ticked at the start, the calculator stops and shows this advice only.
How getmedicalcertificate.com can help
If you are an adult off work with an infection and your employer wants proof, you can request a sick leave certificate online.
A doctor reviews your case first, and you pay only after that review. The price is EUR 34.99 per certificate, with no added fees at checkout. If the doctor cannot issue a certificate, you get a full refund.
Approved certificates arrive as a signed PDF, usually within about 30 minutes of the doctor's approval. Each one carries a reference code that anyone can check. We cover 42 countries in Europe, and certificates are issued in English.
Our return to work certificate is planned, and you can join the waitlist now. A doctor always decides. We cannot promise a certificate will be issued, accepted by your employer, or backdated.
Off work with an infection? Request a sick leave certificate, or join the return to work waitlist.
Frequently asked questions
In England, Norway, Estonia and Slovenia, official guidance says 48 hours after the last episode. Sweden asks for two symptom free days before preschool. Count from the last time the child was sick or had diarrhoea, not from when they seemed better. France does not exclude for viral gastroenteritis, although attending while acutely ill is not desirable.
It depends on the country. England and Italy say 5 days after the rash appears. Estonia also says 5 days, once spots have crusted, and Germany says one week and all blisters crusted. Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Ireland give no count and wait until spots have dried or crusted. The Netherlands says exclusion is generally not necessary.
In England, Estonia and Slovenia, official guidance says 24 hours after starting antibiotics. Ireland and Iceland add that the child must be fever free and feeling well. Italy's national circular says 48 hours after starting antibiotics. Norway asks for at least one day of antibiotics and the child feeling well. Keep giving the full antibiotic course.
In England and France, official guidance needs no exclusion for conjunctivitis. Norway and Sweden ask for time off only when the eyes are heavily sticky with pus. In Slovenia, bacterial cases return 48 hours after starting antibiotics, and viral cases can attend school with no restriction. Check the nursery or school's own policy too.
Usually yes. England, Norway and the Netherlands need no exclusion for head lice. Estonia says at least 12 hours after treatment starts, and Sweden says after treatment and a lice comb check. Italy says until treatment starts, as certified by the treating doctor. Germany and Tyrol in Austria allow return after correct treatment.
In the UK, NHS advice is to stay off work until 2 days after the last episode. The Irish Health Service Executive gives 48 hours after symptoms have passed for norovirus. UK food handlers must report symptoms and stay away from open food, normally for 48 hours after symptoms stop naturally. Your employer's rules also apply.
We only show a rule we confirmed on an official national page. In many countries, rules are set by regions, local health offices, schools or nurseries, or the national page could not be checked. Using another country's rule would be guesswork. Ask your school, nursery or employer, or your doctor, which rule applies to you.
Often not for a short illness. France's national guide says group settings cannot ask for a certificate of non contagion. Latvia asks schools not to require notes after mild viral infections. Slovenia asks parents for a signed statement, and Croatia asks for a preschool doctor's check after illness. Each school or nursery may also have its own policy.
Not always. Most national exclusion tables are written for nurseries and schools. We confirmed adult work rules only for the United Kingdom, Ireland and Finland, and food handler rules only for the UK. Healthcare staff should follow their occupational health team. Where no work rule is confirmed, ask your employer or doctor.
No. It shows what published guidance says about returning to nursery, school or work after an illness you choose. It does not diagnose, test or decide whether anyone is infectious. If you are unsure what the illness is, or symptoms get worse, contact a doctor or your local urgent health line.
Have a question we did not answer? Ask the assistant.