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COMMUNICABLE DISEASES INFORMATION

No child or member of staff known to be suffering a communicable disease, or illness considered too ill to participate in normal activities will be allowed to take up his/her place during that period.

If a child is exposed to a communicable disease, it is our policy to contact the parents in writing, likewise we appreciate the parents/carers co-operation if their child comes down with or is exposed to an infectious disease, so that the appropriate steps can be taken to notify other Centre users if necessary.

Exclusion periods
The following conditions apply should your child have any of the following illnesses. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. It includes some common examples of illnesses but other illnesses with exclusion periods will also apply.

 

Disease/ Illness/ Condition	Signs and Symptoms	Incubation period	Exclusion period
Measles	Misery, high temperature. Heavy cold, with discharging nose and eyes. Later – harsh cough, conjunctivitis, white spots in cheek, followed by dusky red patchy rash, starting behind the ears and along ears/hairline – spreads to face, trunk and limbs	10-15 days	4 days from onset of rash
Rubella (German measles)	Slight sore throat, slight fever, enlarged glands behind ears, pain in small joints	14-21 days	4 days from onset of rash
Chickenpox	Slight fever, starts with red spots with white raised centre on trunk and limbs – very irritating rash	7-21 days	7 days from onset of rash (all spots must be dry and scabbed over)
Pertussis (whooping cough)	Heavy cold with fever, followed by spasmodic cough characteristic cough and vomiting	10-14 days	21 days from onset of cough. If antibiotics are given this may be shortened
Gastrointestinal infection	Vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration. In usual circumstances diarrhoea in a child constitutes 3 or more loose stools	7-14 days	Until well, that is 48 hours after diarrhoea and vomiting have stopped
Tonsillitis	Very sore throat, white patches on tonsils, swollen glands in neck, aches and pains in back and limbs	2-5 days	Until recovered or at least 48 hours on antibiotics
Hand, Foot and Mouth disease	Red spots with raised blister head on hands, feet and mouth	3-5 days	Unless lesions are healed
Herpes simplex	Blisters inside cheeks, ulcers on the tongue, cold sores around the mouth	2-10 days	Until all symptoms have ceased
Meningitis (bacterial and viral)	Fever, pains in back of joints, vomiting. Headache, fear of bright lights, stiff neck, confusion. Skin pale/blotchy, red rash or purple spots/bruises may appear	2-10 days	Until recovered
Mumps	Fever, headache and swelling of jaw in front of ears, difficulty opening mouth	7-28 days	4 days from onset of swelling
Infective hepatitis (jaundice)	Gradual onset of headache, loss of appetite, nausea, urine dark, faeces pale putty colour	23-35 days	7 days from onset of jaundice
Conjunctivitis	Itching and pain in eyes which become red and inflamed. White discharge or “sticky eye”	Bacterial 1-3 days; viral 2-7 days	24 hours minimum or until improvement begins with medication from GP
Scabies	Itchy mite burrows, visible as red raised spots, especially between the fingers. Intense irritation, sleeplessness	Direct contact	72 hours following treatment
Impetigo	Yellow oozing sores with scars on top, itching. Usually around nose and mouth, although can develop on body	Direct contact	Until dry and healing, or 48 hours after antibiotic treatment has started
Threadworms	Presence of threadworms in stools (white, cotton-like pieces) sore anus, itchy bottom, sleeplessness, lack of appetite	Direct contact	24 hours following treatment
Thrush	White patches inside mouth, red rash around mouth or in genital area	Direct contact	Mouth – 24 hours after treatment. Genitals – no exclusion necessary although treatment and good hygiene required
Temperatures	Normal range for child is 36.1°c -37.2°c. 38.3°c or higher is cause for concern.	Not applicable	Until temperature returns to normal
Head Lice	White eggs attached to the hair strands and black flecks or moving bodies over the head.	Contact with head or bedding etc	Until clear of lice