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Illnesses and Infectious Diseases Policy

Image by 🇨🇭 Claudio Schwarz | @purzlba

Please do not send your child to setting if they are feeling unwell, particularly if there is any chance that they might be infectious or if you do not know the cause of the illness. 

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Remember if your child has sickness and diarrhoea, they will be excluded from setting for 48 hours after the diarrhoea and vomiting has stopped.

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If I suspect your child is ill and I believe they have an infectious illness or disease, I will contact you to come and collect them immediately.

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Your child will be excluded from my setting until they have been well for 48 hours, or in accordance with Health Protection Agency guidelines for exclusion periods as follows:

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  • Athlete’s foot - None.

  • Bacillary Dysentery (Shigella) - Microbiological clearance is required for some types of shigella species prior to your child returning to setting.  

  • Campylobacter - Exclusion until 48 hours after symptoms have stopped.

  • Chicken pox – Exclusion until five days from onset of rash and all the lesions have crusted over.

  • Cold sores - None.

  • Conjunctivitis – Exclusion until 24 hours after starting treatment.  

  • Cryptosporidiosis - Exclusion until 48 hours after symptoms have stopped.

  • Diarrhoea and vomiting – Exclusion whilst symptomatic and 48 hours after the last symptoms.

  • Diphtheria - * Exclusion is essential.

  • E.coli - Exclusion until 48 hours after symptoms have resolved. 

  • Flu (influenza) – Exclusion until recovered.

  • Giardia - Exclusion until 48 hours after symptoms have stopped.

  • Glandular fever – Please do not send your child until recovered from symptoms.  They may continue to feel tired and unwell for weeks but can attend.

  •  Hand foot and mouth – Please do not send your child until they feel well again.  I will contact my local Health Protection Agency if a large number of children are affected. Exclusion may be considered in some circumstances.

  • Head lice – If you see live lice in your child’s hair, you should treat their hair before your child can return to setting.  All parents should regularly check their child’s hair for head lice. If I see live lice in your child’s hair I will contact you to collect them.

  • Hepatitis A* - Exclusion until seven days after onset of jaundice (or 7 days after symptom onset if no jaundice).

  • Hepatitis B*, C*, HIV - Acute cases of Hepatitis B will be too ill to attend setting.  Your child's doctor will advise when they can return.  Otherwise there is no exclusion for Hepatitis B or C.

  • Impetigo – Exclusion until lesions are crusted /healed or 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment.  

  • Influenza - No precise exclusion period.  Your child should remain at home until fully recovered.

  • Measles*- Exclusion until five days from onset of rash and recovered.

  • Meningococcal meningitis*/ septicaemia* - Exclusion until recovered.

  • Meningitis* due to other bacteria – Exclusion until recovered.

  • Meningitis viral* - None.

  • Monkey Pox - Exclusion until the last scab has fallen off.  Minimum of 21 days.  Notifiable  disease (NOIDs) 

  • MRSA – None.

  • Mumps* - Exclusion until five days after onset of swelling.

  • Ringworm – You should seek treatment for your child before they return to setting.  

  • Rotavirus - Exclusion until 48 hours after symptoms have subsided.

  • Rubella (German measles) – Exclusion until seven days from onset of rash.

  • Salmonella - Exclusion until 48 hours after symptoms have stopped.  

  • Scabies - Exclusion until after the first treatment has been carried out.

  • Scarlet fever - Exclusion until 24 hours after appropriate antibiotic treatment completed.  If no antibiotics are given your child will be infectious for 2 to 3 weeks and will be excluded for that period.

  • Scabies – Your child can return after first treatment.  All household and close contacts require treatment at the same time.

  • Shingles  - Exclusion period is five days.  Weeping rashes must be covered before your child returns.

  • Slapped cheek /Fifth disease/Parvo virus B19 - Exclusion until once rash has developed.

  • Streptococcal – Excluded until 24 hours after starting appropriate antibiotics.  Please do not send your child back until they are feeling well.

  • Threadworms – Once your child and all household members have started treatment your child can return to setting.

  • Tonsillitis - None.

  • Tuberculosis (TB) - I will consult The Health Protection Agency BEFORE giving information to parents.

  • Typhoid and Paratyphoid fever - Environmental health officers or my Local Health Protection Team will advise the exclusion period.

  • Warts and verrucae – None, however Verruca’s should be covered.

  • Whooping cough (pertussis)* - Exclusion until 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment, or 21 days from onset of symptoms if no antibiotics.

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If I believe your child is suffering from a notifiable disease, identified above by * I will act on advice given by the Health Protection Agency (details of which can be found at www.hpa.org.uk) and inform Ofsted of any action taken.

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All contracted hours for your child are payable whilst they are unable to attend my setting due to an illness or infectious disease.

 

If I, or one of the members of my family, have a confirmed infectious disease, I will inform all parents as soon as I am able.

 

​As I will not be able to offer my childminding service, no childminding fees will be payable.

 

I will inform the parents of the other children in my setting if your child has a diagnosed infectious disease.

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