Common Childhood Infections

1. Common Childhood Infections Jen Mitchell 1-19-2011 Health, Safety, and Nutrition A relevant Health Issue Concerning Young Children

2. What Do I Need To Know? • Teachers need to be familiar withthe various aspects of common infections among children • causes • signs and symptoms • contagiousness • prevention • Duration • Prevention and Treatment (when applicable) • and when to call a doctor.

3. List of SOME of theMost Common Infections • Ear Infection (Middle Ear/Chronic) • Chickenpox • Cold Sores • Common Cold/Flu • Diarrhea • Fever • This is a list of some common childhood infections. To find a list of all common infections please visit http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/index.html

4. Why Do I Need To Know? 1) Teachers need to be able to meet children’s needs in order to best educate them. *When a child is sick, he/she cannot be expected to perform at their normal academic level. 2) Teachers need to be looking out for each child’s best interest, the well and the sick. *Allowing sick children to remain in the classroom endangers the other children as well as the teacher.

5. Middle Ear Infection/Chronic Ear Infection: Causes: Can be caused by exposure to cigarette smoke, bottle-feeding, and day-care attendance, is more common in boys than girls, can seem hereditary, and is more likely during cold and flu season. Signs/Symptoms: Ear pain, tugging/pulling at the ear, irritability, crying more than usual, eating less, sleeping less, fluid draining from the ear

6. Temporary hearing difficulties: (resulting in) lack of response to sounds, turning up volume, speaking louder, apparent inattentiveness Fever, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, ear popping, and symptoms similar to that of a runny nose or cough Duration: Varies ( at least 2-3 days, even without treatment, but up to several months) Prevention (In classroom): Good hand-washing, up-to-date immunization records Call a doctor when: The discomfort/pain persists

7. Chickenpox Causes: the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) Signs/Symptoms: itchy skin rash (beginning on the abdomen and spreading to almost everywhere on the body) First appear as pimples or bug bites until turning into reddish blisters Possibility of fever, stomach pain, soar throat, headache, sick feeling before rash appears

8. Contagiousness: VERY CONTAGIOUS from about 2 days before rash appears until all blisters have crusted over Duration: A total of about 12-14 days Prevention: The chickenpox vaccine and booster shot Call a Doctor When: Blisters seem to be infected, doctor may proscribe antibiotic

9. Cold Sores Causes: Kissing or sharing utensils with infected person Signs/Symptoms: Blisters on lip and inside mouth, gums possibly red/swollen Can lead to fever, body aches, trouble eating, sick feeling, irritability, swollen neck Duration: About 1 week Prevention/Treatment: Don’t share utensils, wash hands often, keep children from touching eyes (can be very serious) When to call a doctor: The child has a weak immune system, sores don’t heal in 7-10 days on their own, sores are near eyes, sores are frequent

10. Cold/Flu Causes: Rhinoviruses in air, dry air lowers resistance Person to person contact or viral particles in air Signs/Symptoms: Runny, stuffy nose, sneezing, irritated throat, cough, headache, mild fever, less appetite, body aches, sleepiness/fatigue, and watery to thick, green snot Contagiousness: Most in first 2-4 days, up to 3 weeks! Causes: Rhinoviruses in air, dry air lowers resistance Person to person contact or viral particles in air

11. Signs/Symptoms: Runny, stuffy nose, sneezing, irritated throat, cough, headache, mild fever, less appetite, body aches, sleepiness/fatigue, and watery to thick, green snot Contagiousness: Most in first 2-4 days, up to 3 weeks! Prevention/Treatment: Wash hands, don’t touch hands or mouth, cover noses and mouths when sneezing/coughing (use shirt sleeve, not hand), don’t pick up used tissues or anything that has been used by a person with a cold Fluids, rest, comfort, possibly an antibiotic if it’s the flu It could be the flu when: Onset is sudden, fever is high, exhaustion is severe, head-ache persists, appetite severely decreases, muscles ache, the child has chills

12. Diarrhea Causes: Contaminated water supplies, person-to-person contact (dirty hands), food-poisoning, some pets, direct contact with fecal matter Signs /Symptoms: Watery, runny bowel movements, also fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, dehydration Prevention: Wash hands often, especially before and after restroom use and eating times Keep bathrooms clean, wash fruits and veggies, keep kitchen and utensils clean, refrigerate meats (and leftovers) in timely manner, wash pet supplies outside, keep pet feeding areas separate from kitchen/dining area Call a Doctor When: diarrhea persists, fever, dehydration ( refusal to drink, dry mouth, no tears when crying, lack of urine, lethargy, sunken eyes), vomiting continues, diarrhea contains blood/mucus, severe abdominal pain

13. Fever Causes: Infection, overdressing (especially infants), Immunizations (babies/young children) Call a Doctor When: You are in doubt and need advice, baby is younger than 3 months is 100.4, older child is 102.2, child refuses liquid, can’t drink adequately, diarrhea or vomiting persist, dehydration, specific complaint, fever 24 hours (younger than 2), 72 hours (older than 2), recurrent fevers, chronic medical problem, rash, painful urination Treatment: Ibuprofen, not aspirin! Sponge-bath, lightweight clothing, water & electrolytes (not sports drinks), cool temp. of room, don’t force feed, rest, home from school

14. Seek Emergency Care for Fever When: inconsolable crying, extreme irritability, lethargy/difficulty waking, rash or purple spots on skin, Blue lips, tongue, or nails Infant soft spot is sunken or bulging Stiff neck, headache, limpness/refusal to move, difficulty breathing, drooling, seizure, stomach pain

15. In the classroom, teachers should quietly address these issues. Children should not be ostracized but rather removed from classrooms as quietly as possible. This prevents unnecessary embarrassment to the child and talk among children. In a class of young children, prevention should be mentioned (cleanliness and germ prevention). In a class of older children, prevention should be discussed, possibly one-on-one with children. Again, the full list of common childhood diseases and information about them can be found at http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/index.html These include but are not limited to: Head lice, Mononucleosis, Pinkeye, and Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)-All important for parents and teachers to know about.