What is it about ?
The reception environments have become enormously important because the parents very often both work outside the home. Not everyone can count on grandparents or other family members to look after children. Parents therefore have recourse to nannies, nurseries, nurseries, etc. A question automatically arises: can / should the reception center also take care of a sick child?
The youngest children in foster care are particularly susceptible to infections because their immune system is not yet fully activated and developed.
The vast majority of childhood illnesses are infections of viral or bacterial origin. Many of them are contagious, so children can infect other children and staff. Many infections can already be passed on before a child even has any symptoms. And often, the child is no longer contagious when he is not yet completely healed.
What are the diseases that should keep the child away from the host environment?
Some highly contagious or dangerous infections will warrant the child or staff to stay home as soon as they show symptoms. In addition to the risk of transmission to other children, special attention should also be paid to the sick child. Even if it is a trivial infection or if the health risk to other children is low, the child must have time to heal completely. A child who is too sick to participate in the normal activities of the reception environment will be systematically sent home.
Provided that this is feasible for the child and for the receiving environment, exclusion is not necessary in the following cases:
- viral respiratory tract infections;
- otitis media;
- transient rash;
- foot-and-mouth disease ;
- canker sores;
- water warts (molluscum contagiosum);
- MRSA (hospital bacteria);
- toward ;
- lice.
In the event of lice, the parents of other children must however be informed so that they can take the necessary measures, such as washing the fabrics at 60 ° and washing the brushes or hair combs in hot water.
Respiratory tract infections
Each year, certain viral infections rage in waves; this is mainly the case with the common cold. Very often, many infected people show no signs of illness. A child who has symptoms is therefore usually not the first case. Therefore, it does not make sense to keep the child at home or to isolate him.
Intestinal infections
A child who has vomiting and / or diarrhea should stay home for up to 2 days after symptoms resolve.
If diarrhea is persistent and associated with fever, a stool test is usually done to identify the pathogen. Children who suffer from a Salmonella infection (salmonellosis) cannot join the reception environment until all the symptoms have disappeared, after 3 negative stool analyzes, carried out each time 1 week apart . The same rules apply for bacterial infections with E. coli, but stool samples are taken at intervals of 1 to 2 days. These same rules also apply to the brothers and sisters of the sick child, even if they are not sick.
Conjunctivitis
The child can attend the reception environment if this is feasible for the child and for the reception environment.
Blood-borne diseases
For HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, above all, strict hygiene rules are applied:
- Use of individual pacifiers and toothbrushes.
- Wearing disposable gloves.
- Dispose of all material that has come into contact with body fluids or blood in a separate plastic bag.
Other infections
The moment when the child can return to the reception environment depends on the type of infection:
- streptococcal infection and scarlet fever: 24 hours after starting treatment;
- impetigo: when the scabs are completely dry or 48 hours after the start of treatment;
- whooping cough: 5 days after the first dose of antibiotics:
- If the child was already sick for more than 3 weeks before the diagnosis was made, there is no longer any reason to keep him at home.
- chickenpox: when the scabs are dry;
- hepatitis A: 1 week after the onset of the first symptoms;
- scabies: 24 hours after the end of treatment.
How are diseases transmitted and after how long does the child have symptoms?
Most contagious diseases are spread through the saliva or droplets that get in the air when you cough or sneeze. Direct contact is also often a source of contamination. This is the case for most colds, influenza, meningitis, pertussis, mycoplasma infection, tuberculosis, fifth disease (infectious erythema), sixth disease (roseola infantum), measles, mumps and rubella.
Transmission through blood, urine and stool is much less common. But this is the case for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and salmonellosis.
Signs of illness do not necessarily appear as soon as the child is infected. The time between contamination and the appearance of the first symptoms is called the incubation period. This period can be more or less long and can vary greatly depending on the disease. It can go from 1 day, as for a common cold, to 10 weeks, as for tuberculosis. This large difference can complicate the diagnosis.
What can you do ?
Both parents and staff in the host environment must always apply preventive measures to minimize the risk of contamination:
- The first measure is good hand hygiene, which consists of washing your hands – or possibly disinfecting them – after each treatment or contact with a body fluid such as snot.
- Cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then wash your hands.
- Each child must also have their own blanket, pacifier … ideally personalized (with a name tag) to avoid any confusion.
- Regularly clean, disinfect and ventilate the places where the child spends time.
- The public authorities organize a basic vaccination program, dispensed by ONE, for babies and young children. Get your child vaccinated because vaccines greatly reduce the risk of serious infections.
Source