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Day Care and Ear, Nose,
and Throat Problems
Who is in day care?
The 2000 census reported that of among the nation's 19.6 million
preschoolers, grandparents took care of 21 percent, 17 percent were
cared for by their father (while their mother was employed or in
school); 12 percent were in day care centers; nine percent were cared
for by other relatives; seven percent were cared for by a family day
care provider in their home; and six percent received care in nursery
schools or preschools. More than one-third of preschoolers (7.2
million) had no regular child-care arrangement and presumably were
under maternal care.
Day care establishments are defined as those primarily engaged in care
of infants or children, or in providing pre-kindergarten education,
where medical care and/or behavioral correction are not a primary
function or major element. Some may or may not have substantial
educational programs, and some may care for older children when they
are not in school.
What are your child’s risks of being exposed to a contagious illness
at a day care center?
Medline,
a service of the National Library of Medicine and the National
Institutes of Health, reports that day care centers do pose some
degree of an increased health risk for children, because of the
exposure to other children who may be sick.
When your child is in a day care center, the risk is greatest for
viral upper respiratory infection (affecting the nose, throat, mouth,
voice box) and the common cold, ear infections, and diarrhea. Some
studies have tried to link asthma to day care. Other studies suggest
that being exposed to all the germs in day care actually IMPROVES your
child's immune system.
Studies suggest that the average child will get eight to ten colds per
year, lasting ten - 14 days each, and occurring primarily in the
winter months. This means that if a child gets two colds from March to
September, and eight colds from September to March, each lasting two
weeks, the child will be sick more than over half of the winter.
At the same time, children in a day care environment, exposed to the
exchange of upper respiratory tract viruses every day, are expected to
have three to ten episodes of otitis media annually. This is four
times the incidence of children staying at home.
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When should your child remain at home instead of day care or
school? |
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Simply put, children become sick after being exposed to other sick
children. Some guidelines to follow are:
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When your child has a temperature higher than 100 degrees, keep
him/her at home. A fever is a sign of potentially contagious
infection, even if the child feels fine. Schools often advise
keeping the child at home until a fever-free period has existed
for 24 hours.
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When other children in the day care facility have a known
contagious infection, such as chicken pox, strep throat or
conjunctivitis, keep your child at home.
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Children taking antibiotics should be kept at home until they
have taken the medicine for one or two days.
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If your child is vomiting or has diarrhea, the young patient
should not be around other children. Other signs of illness are
an inability to take fluids, weakness or lethargy, sunken eyes,
a depressed soft spot on top of infant’s head, crying without
tears, and dry mouth.
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Can you prevent your child from becoming sick at a day care center?
The short answer is no. Exposure to other sick children will increase
the likelihood that your child may “catch” the same illness,
particularly with the common cold. The primary rule is to keep your
own children at home if they are sick. However, you can:
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Teach your child to wash his or her hands before eating and after
using the toilet. Infection is spread the most by children putting
dirty toys and hands in their mouths, so check your day care's hygiene
cleaning practices.
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Have your child examined by a physician before enrollment in a day
care center or school. During the examination, the physician will:
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Look
for otitis (inflammation) in the ear. This is an indicator of future
ear infections.
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Review with you any allergies your child may have. This will assist
in determining if the diet offered at the day care center may be
harmful to your child.
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Examine the child’s tonsils for infection and size. Enlarged tonsils
could indicate that your child may not be getting a healthy sleep at
night, resulting in a tired condition during the day
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Alert the day care center manager when your child is ill, and
include the nature of the illness.
Day care has become a necessity for millions of families. Monitoring
the health of your own child is key to preventing unnecessary
sickness. If a serious illness occurs, do not hesitate to have your
child examined by a physician.
Material provided courtesy of the American Academy of Otolaryngology —
Head and Neck Surgery
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