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Spots And Rashes


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Hi

 

What a week so far,

 

yesterday a child arrived to nursery perfectly well in hinself but covered in spots, so i asked dad what they were he said he had been to the doctors and it was viral. since child was well enough i accepted him in nursery. thirty mins later a parent phones to say they are keeping their child off because he has a rash but is not unwell just not sure of the rash, fair enough.

 

a little while later another parent phones to say her child has measles.... so alarm bells start ringing, we go to look at our spotty child and notice more spots but still child seems well... anyway i ring parents to ask if they will take child back to doctors now for a note to confirm it is viral, parents agree.... whilst all this is happening another two children arrive with spots, both asked to leave and get doctors notes... one left and rang later to say that they were keeping child off but hadn't gone to doctors, the other didn't contactb us.

 

the parent of spotty child picked him up, this morning she rang to say that she had taken him to doctors and again been told its viral, but when doctor was asked to provide a doctors note she wouldn't provide one to say it was viral as she now couldn't be 100% sure.

 

tonight we have had another two parents ring to say their child has a rash.... i think this brings us up to one confirmed measles case and 6 doubtful (yet apparently viral related ) children with rashes.

 

so wondering what would you do with children who's parents are saying its viral yet their doctors are refusing to give doctors notes, can you refuse entry, even if child seems well apart from a rash?

 

if you ask me it seems a coincidence that 6 children all have the same viral rash.

 

Dawn

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I hate this doctor business. We have a real problem with ringworm in our setting - I think nearly every child has had it, but whenever we spot a new case and pack off to docs, they invariably come back and tell us the doc said it's eczema, so they then spread it around again and the child's ringworm gets worse until the doc will finally admit it is ringworm....arrrgghh!

 

So sorry I can't help as I don't know how you get the docs to agree. What about finding out (look at children's health forms) who the docs are and ring them??? Viral infections ARE contagious though so it could be a contagious viral infection couldn't it? I wouldn't want to take the risk with rashes though. I would say you are perfectly within your rights to not accept a child unless they have a doctor's note to say they are fit to be in contact with other children (and potentially pregnant adults).

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Guest Wolfie

I sympathise with you about the ringworm, Puzzles - our nursery had a similar outbreak which lasted months, with both children and staff infected, and doctors diagnosing it as eczema!! :o Aaaaagggghhhhh!

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Very difficult for you. Does seem too much of a coincidence that you have 6 children with a rash. Could you say something like that as you have 1 confirmed case of measles, and any child presenting with a rash will be presumed to have measles too unless a doctor note to say that it isn't?

 

Measles or not it would seem that it is contagious and doesn't our registration with Ofsted prevent us from accepting infectious children?

 

Good luck!

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Why shouldnt children be excluded with viral illness?

 

 

good question!

 

i think if i have any more rashes i am going to have to send children home and say that until we know otherwise, i.e a doctors note we will presume they have measles.... oh, the joy....

 

we also have a pregnant member of staff but apparently she is okay to work with measles around so her doctors have told her... its unfortunate that we have a fgew parents with newborn children who have not yet been vaccinated against measles so i hope those little one's don't get it

 

Dawn

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Hi Dawn, a search on google comes up with loads of stuff on measels. Its a highly contagious viral infection.

 

NHS direct is good Measels info here

 

If a case of measels is suspected, doctors have to notify the local authority and if necessary the childs school will be notified.

 

German measles is also highly contagious.

German measles info

 

This also has to be notified.

 

Both can be dangerous to unborn babies so I'd get some definitive feedback from those GP's if possible.

:o

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Some good info Rea. Just remembered, one of the things a SureStart advisor commented on during a visit last week was that we now have to inform Ofsted if we have a case of German Measles - for info!

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Health Protection Agency guidelines on infection control in schools and nurseries recommend that a child with measles should be kept off school for 5 days after the start of the rash.

 

Or more I guess if still obviously unwell!

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I thought measles was a notifiable illness. I have ahd the same thing last week one doctor said rash could be measles other said it was viral. I kept both off just in case as I have mums who are pregnant. I know it is contagious before but I'd rather air on the side of caution.

 

Its a difficult call!!!

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Guest toddleo

Some good info Rea. Just remembered, one of the things a SureStart advisor commented on during a visit last week was that we now have to inform Ofsted if we have a case of German Measles - for info!

 

Is that Right Deb do you know if it is it written down anywhere that we need to tell Ofsted about german measles

Edited by toddleo
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Guest Wolfie

My son, at the age of 17 and having had his MMR, developed mumps last year - I had to really battle with the doctor to get it diagnosed...and there really was NO doubting it.....and even then he didn't notify anyone! I happened to mention it to the local health visitor a couple of months later and she knew nothing about it and said that she should have been the first person to be notified! I thought that that was really bad practice.

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I had missed out on this info, but our early years advisors told me a few weeks ago that policies on exclusion due to illnesses needed to be checked and updates as ofsteds recommendations had changed. Still working on it i must admit.

 

We also had a month long chain of chicken pox (they went down like flies, and i love that when someone is bragging that their children have never had it, fate comes along and evens the score) and a few rashes this and last week, doctors diagnosed as viral rash which basically translates as they dont know. We always request that anything that can be passed on, or effects the comfort and emotional comfort of the child warrents a day at home at the least if not a trip to the docs to get early treatment, and we try to arm the parents with the symptoms we have noticed to help them along and get to the bottom of things a bit quicker.

 

You just have to be firm because if a member of staff catches whatever is going round, well mine would definately not come in with a spotty face until it had cleared, and its not like we have spare staff laying around to cover is it.

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Guest toddleo

We are a sessional care pre-school, and I note that the addendmum you link to refers to national standards for full day care under 8's and child minding, do you know if it relates to sessional care too? have looked myself and am having trouble locating it

 

Thank you

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we are sessional and were given same list and info by advisors so must be same, cannot see any reason for it not to be, when new framework comes in there is no difference in standards for full day and sessional care.

 

Inge

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