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Has your daycare had an outbreak and how did you handle it?
I'm going through it right now, I'm down 2 kids since last Wed (1st kid showed symptoms at home that night), 2nd child showed sympotms on Friday at home and I'm not sure if my DD has it or not?
To be safe I'm closing tomorrow to see how she is feeling. All day today she has been sleeping and saying her throat hurts, tummy hurts and dosen't have much of an appetite until I gave her advil.
What to do?
Unfortunately, I don't believe there really isn't much you can do but let it run its course. I would close tomorrow and then see how the other kids are in your care to see if you need to be closed until further notice.
I personally have not had it go through my daycare, but my daughter did have it last year, and it took a few days for it to run its course and her feel better.
Ya it is a virus - you can only treat the symptoms and ensure they do not dehydrate :(
I have not excluded for HFM itself - if they are fever free and able to cope in program they can attend ... but thats my comfort level!
Even with sores on there hands and feet you let them attend?
Did you have to close inorder to aatend to the needs of your DD?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashleigh
My own kids had it a couple of weeks ago! Then two other dck's got it as well, but the others were okay. I closed for 4 days until my kids' spots were gone, but they were feeling fine after a couple of days...it wasn't that bad. I just really didn't want to spread it to those who didn't have it already and my doctor said that it is contagious until the spots are gone. The other option is giving the parents the choice...but then I thought if one decided to send their kids and another not and the first child got it and spread it to the one who had kept theirs home, that would be unfair. I just err on the side of caution with these things to keep it from spreading and it did work..three kids did not get it :) Good luck with it! Sounds like your DD may be coming down with it...we thought it was strep throat at first...sore throat and fever were the first signs.
I had 2 dck with it in my dayhome...about 2 weeks apart so I'm not sure if the cases were related or not but after the second case was reported to me, I closed my daycare for a day to scrub the he!! out of it from top to bottom. knock on wood...no one else has caught it.
It went through my daycare 2 years ago and I went by my fever rule because the children all came down with high fevers and 3 out of 5 had terrible spots and rashes, mostly in their mouths were the sorest ones. Then they didn't want to eat so it was best for them to be at home. They were miserable. So I asked the parents to keep the children home if they had open sores and 24 hours after their fevers returned to normal which is my policy for any sickness. Once one child caught it he exposed it to the entire daycare so they all got it within the same week.
Just curious how it all played out? DD had sore throat and loss of appetite and slept most of the day. I gave her Advil and she ate and danced and sang around the house tonight?
When will the visual signs appear? This virus really sucks as its mostly a stupid waiting game. I took out 80% of toys in the playroom as I have already disenfected and this way each day I only need to disenfect a small amount until things get back to normal!
Yup - it's like the common cold by the time the spots show up they have "shared" with everyone - the Health Unit does not require exclusion as long as they can participate ~ to help reduce spread keep socks on their feet on and with hands I suspend any group sensory play and increase hand washing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skysue
I've had it in the program twice and both times only the initial child had it - the one stayed home for the fever portion the first day and when spots showed up went to Dr for confirmation than returned - the one child they thought it was spider bits initially :rolleyes: the other you'd have never known he was sick did not affect him at all no fever before and the spots did not bug him - he was only out half day to get spots confirmed.
UGH!! I had this go through my daycare once..then everyone got better and then again! It's just something that has to run it's course. I told my daycare parents to keep their little one home.
They are sore, tired and miserable and need to be the comfort of home. Easily passed on to others too.
My dd got it and I got my Mom to come and care for her and keep her seperate from my daycare so the same rules applied to me when my own came down with it.
((hugs)) hope it doesn't go through your daycare.
Be extra careful of potty training kids with this - the virus is in the stools for 30-45 days after spots appear so is still contagious through unwashed hands or kids who might itch a bum and touch something .... Yuck to think of but possible none the less !
It's confirmed DD has it now what to do I'm not going to ask that healthy kids come and get exposed?
Info from pediatrician:
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is quite contagious when the rash is present. If the child has a fever, you can catch the infection just by being in the same room. If the fever is gone, you can still catch it by touching the rash or the saliva of the infected person, and the virus stays in the stool for months. In fact, the most common way it is spread is from stool to hand to mouth, so hand washing is important. Houseflies have also been known to pass hand-foot-and-mouth disease.
Even though this virus is very contagious, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not recommend keeping kids with hand-foot-and-mouth disease out of day care or school. Their reasoning is that more than half of the kids with this virus have no rash and no symptoms at all. Therefore, if it's in a classroom, it will spread whether or not the child with the rash comes to school.
What would you ladies do?
I would go to your health unit and get the "official" version of symptoms, incubation, exclusion, etc) and print it off for parents. Let them know that they have the option to bring their child or not. BUT caution them that because they have been exposed they should NOT go to another daycare and risk spreading the disease since they could already be contagious. If parent can't stay home they need to make similar arrangements ie relative not daycare - most will either stay home or bring child anyways and cross their fingers.
Just remember that when their child comes down with it that you will be obligated to keep them in care since there is no exclusion policy as in you can't have a double standard. Since it is your own child that is sick I wouldn't close as such but I would give parents the option to stay home. I likely wouldn't charge them for the days if they did stay home but your warning above about no health unit exclusion rules, and already exposed so no other daycare might just have them come as normal.
Good week to "spring clean" and get the kids scrubbing. We have been doing bigger toys this week with me washing and them drying.
Its different for me - i do not have my own wee kids on program - so I always stay open but inform parents of the "exposure" and let them choose if they want to send their child or not cause well I am not forgoing income that way - if I had my own wee one who was sick I would likely feel different cause I'd want my own kid to have my undivided attention of sick ... you gotta do what feels right for YOU :)
Feel better vibes for your wee one !!!
I have a full outbreak of it right now!
2 yr old DKB developed a fever on Tuesday, went home early with his 4 yr old sister (who has been sleeping in all week and mom has been thinking it was a growth spurt)...then Wednesday they both show up no fever (not sure if he had Tylenol) and today the spots are all over DCB's feet and hands, his sister has a sore throat, my 1 yr old DCB has been out with a fever and "strep throat" for the last 2 days, my own daughter (18 mos) has a high fever today and I am just praying that my other daughter and other DCB don't have it.
Today, the mom of the siblings let's me know that they were exposed to it over the weekend but thought they couldn't get it a second time and they have already had it. Wow!!! would have been really nice of her to let me know that at the beginning of the week!
Looking for some thoughts on this though, the sister and brother that brought it here are leaving at the end of next week (they are moving), but I am thinking of just forfeiting my last week of pay and telling them to just stay home since the DCB's blisters have just appeared and she has yet to get them....so from what I have read they are contagious until the blisters are dried up? I don't know, maybe it doesn't matter since they almost all have it already?
Thoughts please!!!
Today, the mom of the siblings let's me know that they were exposed to it over the weekend but thought they couldn't get it a second time and they have already had it. Wow!!! would have been really nice of her to let me know that at the beginning of the week!
Looking for some thoughts on this though, the sister and brother that brought it here are leaving at the end of next week (they are moving), but I am thinking of just forfeiting my last week of pay and telling them to just stay home since the DCB's blisters have just appeared and she has yet to get them....so from what I have read they are contagious until the blisters are dried up? I don't know, maybe it doesn't matter since they almost all have it already?
During the FEVER phase of the virus it's airborne and after that only transmitted through saliva & or blisters if they pop.
She needs to keep her kids home until the blisters have scab and she should still pay you. I had to close last week giving parents the option to send their healthy kids but if they opted out they didn’t have to pay for care. I lost a lot of money but took the break to clean etc. But its really tough on the kids as they have a really soar throat and they realy do need to rest as much as possible.
It's up to you if you keep them all but the last thing i would want is other kids who are feeling crappy that need there Mom's. Especially if your little one needs more of you.
Good luck! I hope your little one doesn't get it!
I personally do not close or require exclusion for the HFM as it is not required by the Public Health Unit and I try to follow their guidelines as 'back up' for when clients complain about exclusions .... so as long as they are FEVER FREE and able to cope in the program they can attend...I would let them come.
Skysue is your daughter feeling better?