SICKNESS & INFECTIOUS DISEASES POLICY                              October 2011 

We must consider the health of all the children in our care, including our own children, and ourselves, and are legally required to promote good health and to take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection and take appropriate action, which may at times mean exclusion.

This requires the co-operation of ALL parents.   If we become ill, we may not be able to work.

If your child has an infection, be it bacterial, fungal or viral, they need to be treated and kept at home where they will feel happier, recover more quickly, and will not pass the infection to others.

A minimum exclusion period of 48 hours will apply from the start of a course of antibiotics, after which it will be discussed and agreed when
your child may return to the setting, giving your child a chance to recover and minimising the risk of infecting others.

Should your child have an above normal temperature, this is an indication that he/she has an infection. Your child will need to be kept at home until a temperature-free period of 24 hours has passed without the administration of any pain or fever relief, before your child returns to the group, giving your child a chance to recover and minimising the risk of infecting other children, ourselves and our children.

If your child has symptoms over a period of time, e.g. constant green mucous, unusually clingy/fragile, loss of appetite, etc., they do need to
be seen by a health professional.

Please do not bring your child if he/she is unwell or has any infectious disease. Please check the contents of this policy and discuss the symptoms with us first to ascertain whether we are able to admit her/him.

Should your child become unwell whilst in our care, we may contact you to arrange immediate collection. The child will then be excluded from the setting until they have been well for 48 hours, or in accordance with Health Authority guidelines.

We will inform the parents of the other children in our setting if a child we care for has a diagnosed infectious disease.

If we believe a child in our setting is suffering from a notifiable disease, we will act on advice given by the HPA and inform Ofsted of any action taken.

Following is a list of infectious diseases together with minimum exclusion periods:-

Chicken Pox+

Incubation: 12-21 days

Infectious from 0-2 days before onset of illness and rash starting

Exclusion: 5 days from appearance of rash

German Measles*+ (Rubella) 

Incubation: 14-21 days 

Infectious from 0-2 days before onset of illness and rash starting.

Exclusion: 6 days from appearance of rash

Measles*+

Incubation: 7-21 days

Infectious from 3-5 days before onset of illness and rash starting.

Exclusion: 5 days from appearance of rash.

Exclude if cough/cold/chill or red eyes develop

Scarlet Fever*

Incubation: 2-5 days

Infectious from 1-2 days before onset of illness and rash starting.

Exclusion: until clinical recovery - approximately 10 days/5 days after commencing antibiotics.

Streptococcal Sore Throat

Exclusion: until clinical recovery/5 days from commencing antibiotics 

Whooping Cough* (Pertussis)

Incubation: 5-14 days

Exclusion: until clinical recovery approximately 21 days from start of cough/5 days from commencing antibiotics

Mumps *

Incubation: 12-28 days

Exclusion: until all swelling has subsided - at least 7 days/5 days from onset of swollen glands

Diarrhoea & Vomiting

Exclusion: until 48 hours from last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting

(exclusion from swimming 2 weeks after last episode)

Infective Jaundice

Incubation: 14-42 days

Seek clearance from family GP

Hepatitis A*

Exclusion: 7 days after onset of jaundice/symptom onset

Poliomyelitis

Seek clearance from family GP

Meningoccal Meningitis

Incubation: 2-10 days. Seek clearance from family GP

Glandular Fever

Seek clearance from family GP

Tuberculosis*

Consult with Health Protection Unit

Diphtheria*

Exclude. Consult Health Protection Unit

Typhoid/enteric fever/paratyphoid*

Exclude. Consult Health Protection Unit

Dysentery (Shigella)

Incubation: 1-7 days.

Exclude. Consult HPU 

Food Poisoning

Exclude. Incubation: 0-2 days. Consult HPU.

E. coli 0157 VTEC

Exclusion minimum 48 hours from last episode of diarrhoea, longer if required.

Consult HPU. (exclusion from swimming 2 weeks after last episode of diarrhoea)

Hand, foot & mouth

Exclusion until symptoms disappeared & child feels well

Incubation: 3-5 days Infectious via faeces many weeks

Slapped cheek + (fifth disease)

Incubation: 4-20 days. 

Infectious: 7 days before rash

Erythema infectiosum Parvovirus B19 Shingles+

Exclusion: while child feels unwell. Exclude if rash is weeping and cannot be covered

 

Eye and Skin Infections

Athletes Foot

Infected area must be covered. Treatment advised.

Conjunctivitis

Exclusion: until treated and no longer infectious

Impetigo

Exclusion: until lesions are crusted or healed.

If widespread or uncovered, exclude until cured.

Ringworm

Exclusion: until treatment has commenced

If lesions are small and covered, child may attend.

If widespread or uncovered, exclude until cured.

Lice/Nits

If live lice present, exclude until child and family have been treated.

Scabies

Exclude until child and family have had first treatment

Warts/Verrucae

If treated and covered, child may attend.

Hand, Foot & Mouth

Exclude while symptoms of rash and fever are present.

Worms (thread, ship, round, tape worm)

Exclude until child and family have been treated

Molluscum Contagiosum

If papules are treated and covered, child may attend.

 

* Notifiable Disease

+ Can cause problems for vulnerable children and in pregnancy

 

For any other infections or diseases not listed above, we will follow the guidelines set out in the following documents:-

Health Protection Agency: Guidance on Infection Control in Schools and other Childcare Settings April 2010

Dept of Health, Dept for Education & Employment & Public Health Laboratory Service: Our Healthier Nation Guidance on infection control in schools and nurseries

 

Wendy & Louis Bernardelle

The Wendy House N12