I Need Some Quick Advice - COXSACKIE VIRUS

[Angelwings36]

Ok so it turns out that the dcb that was brought to the daycare with a rash has the Coxsackie virus (hand, foot and mouth disease). From my understanding it starts out with a sore throat, fever, fatigue and lack of appetite, then the rash appears. From what I have read the individual infected is contagious the first 10 days they have symptoms, but can be mildly contagious for weeks after symptoms disappear. The virus has been introduced to my daycare so I need a plan.

If children end up sick with the coxsackie virus do I exclude them for the duration that they have symptoms because they are still contagious?

OR...

If basically everyone in daycare gets the coxsackie virus do I exclude the children only when they have the fever and then accept them back into care?

I don't know what to do. I don't want it so I don't want anyone contagious in my home, although I realize it has already been in my home and I may already have it. However, I don't think any of my parents can afford not to bring their children to daycare for 10 days or more.

Please help me I need to talk to my parents in 4 hours about this!

Thanks.

[daycare]

Ok so it turns out that the dcb that was brought to the daycare with a rash has the Coxsackie virus (hand, foot and mouth disease). From my understanding it starts out with a sore throat, fever, fatigue and lack of appetite, then the rash appears. From what I have read the individual infected is contagious the first 10 days they have symptoms, but can be mildly contagious for weeks after symptoms disappear. The virus has been introduced to my daycare so I need a plan.

If children end up sick with the coxsackie virus do I exclude them for the duration that they have symptoms because they are still contagious?

OR...

If basically everyone in daycare gets the coxsackie virus do I exclude the children only when they have the fever and then accept them back into care?

I don't know what to do. I don't want it so I don't want anyone contagious in my home, although I realize it has already been in my home and I may already have it. However, I don't think any of my parents can afford not to bring their children to daycare for 10 days or more.

Please help me I need to talk to my parents in 4 hours about this!

Thanks.

so here is what I understand....I am sure others will offer more advice.

NO child can return until all blisters have scabbed and healed over, no fever, no signs of new rash and are able to fully particiapte. Meaning that they are still down and out and cant function.

You need to not allow any kids in your home that have symptoms. Fever or not.
Then the fun part. YOu are going to have to CLEAN CLEAN and then CLEAN again. Bust out the bleach and start cleaning everything and anything that this child has touched or used.

I had one child get this, lucky they got it from a cousin and never came to the daycare and he was out of daycare for almost a week....

[Cat Herder]

Angel,

This is directly from my CDC poster.

Incubation: 3-6 Day

Spread: Contact with Fecal, Oral or Respiratory Secretions.

Contagious: Several weeks.

Return: 24 hours without fever AND child feels well enough to participate in activities.

Now, to me, that means do your usual clean up/disinfection of toys/surfaces like for any other virus. It is extremely common in group care settings, both adult and child.

It is considered a mild issue, no more concerning that a cold.

[MsMe]

It has a wide range of sevarity. I have had children that get ALL the symtoms and terrible blisters and some that have mild syptoms and only small blisters in their mouths. It varies a lot. Watch out for Dr.s and parents that will try to send kids back the next day when they still have blisters bc "its not contagious anymore"

Your home Your rules.....I don't allow them back untill they are completly healed. #1 bc it is HIGHLY contagious and I won't risk it, and #2 a child that still feels ill and is sent to daycare is a whinny mess and it will take their little bodies twice as long to heal without the proper rest.

Good luck!!

I hope it is as nice where you are as it is here bc i would need the windows OPEN with all the bleaching on

[blessedmess8]

It has a wide range of sevarity. I have had children that get ALL the symtoms and terrible blisters and some that have mild syptoms and only small blisters in their mouths. It varies a lot. Watch out for Dr.s and parents that will try to send kids back the next day when they still have blisters bc "its not contagious anymore"

Your home Your rules.....I don't allow them back untill they are completly healed. #1 bc it is HIGHLY contagious and I won't risk it, and #2 a child that still feels ill and is sent to daycare is a whinny mess and it will take their little bodies twice as long to heal without the proper rest.

Good luck!!

I hope it is as nice where you are as it is here bc i would need the windows OPEN with all the bleaching on

There IS a wide range of severity. My son, who was otherwise healthy, got it at 4 and was the sickest he has ever been! Ran a 103 fever for almost a week and would eat or drink b/c his mouth hurt so bad. I worked at a large center then and caught heck for taking off because my director said, "We don't even exclude for that." (He was in Pre-K at the time) and I had to tell her, "Well, we DO exclude for 103 fevers!" Her daughter had it years before and it was a mild illness for her, so I guess she thought I was lying? At that center we usually followed the "Good Health Handbook" and were pretty strict. But, given the vague and long span of time that particular illness can be contagious, we just excluded until the fever was gone for 24 hours. :-/ Luckily, though, in all my child care years, I've yet to see an adult catch it!

[registered]

can come

From the CDC website and per my doctor, they cannot be excluded from daycare...well, I guess any daycare can do what they want. BUT there isn't a reason. Once you know they have it, it is too late for everyone else. They have already been exposed and more than likely have signs. I just had this run its course through my daycare, it wasn't that bad. I didn't keep any of the kids home because they all had it at the same time.

[Sunshine44]

I know of a few adults that have caught it from kids.

[Blackcat31]

The tech sheet says exclusion for the fever part only. Child already exposed everyone as PP's said

http://www.hennepin.us/files/HennepinUS/HSPHD/Public%20Health%20Protection/Epidemiology/Daycare%20Manual/1340_s6HAND%20FOOT.pdf

[boysx5]

in adults you can feel like you have the flu happened to me over the summer and it was not fun

[Angelwings36]

Thanks everyone for the advice, I really appreciate it. This is the letter I handed to families yesterday.

Dear Parents,

This is a group daycare letter.

Your child may have been exposed to the Coxsackie virus (the hand, foot and mouth disease). On September 13th I discovered a ‘goose bump’ like rash all over one of my 15-month-old daycare boys. This boy is in my care casually and his last prior daycare day this month was on September 6th. I immediately called the mom to pick up her son and informed her that she needed a doctor’s note starting what the rash was caused by and whether or not it was contagious before she could bring him back to daycare. She emailed me today and informed me that her son had the Coxsackie virus. I was also informed by this mother that her son had the rash already for over two weeks, why I was not told about it prior to her bringing him in on Tuesday is still being dealt with.

Immediately I called another family of two children who have not been here this week due to a sore throat and fever and asked the dad to check their body for a rash. Sure enough they too have the Coxsackie virus and have been showing these symptoms since Saturday. Both children were not in daycare the whole time that they were sick and will be excluded from daycare until all symptoms are gone.

From my understanding the Coxsackie virus starts out with a sore throat, fever, fatigue and lack of appetite and then a rash can appear on the body and mouth of the infected individual. Individuals are most contagious during the first 10 days that they show symptoms, however, individuals may be mildly contagious for weeks after. I have attached a link to this letter for anyone who would like more information on this virus.

http://www.medicinenet.com/coxsackie_virus/article.htm

So here is the protocol:

If one or two more children fall ill with the Coxsackie virus they will be excluded from daycare for the whole duration that they show symptoms. Please, please, please make sure that you have a family member, friend or are able to take the time off work yourself to be home with your child if they are the one that falls ill.

If more than two more children fall ill with the Coxsackie virus children will only be excluded from daycare during the time that they have a fever. At this point it is inevitable that everyone has been exposed so there is no need to exclude simply on the rash.

If I also fall ill with the Coxsackie virus and there are already more than two children that are ill with it and I have allowed the children to come back after their fever has broken but before they are not contagious anymore, I will close for the duration that I am incapable of providing care for the children (more than likely just until the fever breaks). Fees for these days will be non-refundable to families, as I will already have stretched my daycare illness policy to help out families and in term will be putting myself at a higher risk of catching the virus.
Please be aware that I am taking every effort to nip this in the bud. I will be spending countless hours sterilizing the daycare.

If your child shows any signs or symptoms of this virus please contact me immediately and I will do the same for you if I notice any symptoms on your child that are abnormal.

If any ‘new’ children fall ill with this virus all families will be notified immediately!

By signing below you are agreeing to all the above.

Parent’s Signature_________________________
Provider’s Signature_______________________
Date____________________________________


I really hope I made the right decision, I still feel uncomfortable with not enforcing my illness policy but I was trying to look out for the daycare as a group this time!

Thanks.

[Sunshine44]

If three of your kids have it, everyone has or will have it. Once you get it, you usually do not get it again. You CAN, but it isn't likely. Adults usually do not get it, but can. I think your letter is a little long and doesn't make a lot of sense to me personally.

How many kids do you keep? Three of them have already come down with this...

I personally have been through Hand, Foot and Mouth and it isn't really that bad, like a normal virus.