conjunctivitis!

**ladybug** · 24-08-2010, 07:21 PM

Help please, my full time LO has a gooey eye monday, his mum took him to docs mon eve and he has conjunctivitis, been given antibiotics and was told he is contagious..............he was off today but have had a text saying eye much better he will be back tomorro, does this ring true? last time i had it I had to have at least 3 days off?

**Goatgirl** · 24-08-2010, 07:26 PM

I would say LO can't come back until ALL redness, itchiness and discharge is gone completely, as it so easily spreads and its virtually impossible to stop little ones touching eyes.

Good luck telling the parent

**ladybug** · 24-08-2010, 07:28 PM

lol thanks!!!!!!! thye have no time off left at work think thats why I am gettin him back!

**AliceK** · 24-08-2010, 07:44 PM

I thought we weren't allowed to exclude for this. It's no longer on the HPA list.
Probably down to your own policy??

xxxx

**sarah707** · 24-08-2010, 07:48 PM

It's not an excludable illness... so it is up to you when you have the child back.

Hth

**love381** · 25-08-2010, 09:03 AM

When my nephew had this in April, we were told he was contagious for the first 36 hours after his first treatment of cream - then the cream made it not contagious. x

**Chimps Childminding** · 25-08-2010, 09:14 AM

One of my mindees had it a few weeks ago. I rang mum so she could get an appointment at the docs. The doc said just to bathe it with warm water, they didn't give him any cream etc. and said it was fine to come back to me!! Thanks

**Tribe_mummy** · 25-08-2010, 09:26 AM

Spoke to CSO a week or so ago, its not an excludable illness so we have the right to decide. Most nurseries take children with this now but the choice is yours. She told me here personal opinion on it and that as its your business you can decide and it should be written in your policies.HTH

**fluffysocks** · 25-08-2010, 10:38 AM

this went around our primary school a few months back, the entire of my sons class got it over the course of the term! School was ringing parents to to come and collect and stated that child could not return untill treatment had started

**tashaleee** · 25-08-2010, 11:40 AM

I have a policy in place and I do exclude. It would depend on the age of the child but if pre-school then there is no way I would accept them until cleared up - far too easy to spread

**birch24** · 25-08-2010, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by love381

When my nephew had this in April, we were told he was contagious for the first 36 hours after his first treatment of cream - then the cream made it not contagious. x

Yes same I was told by the doctor after the first day of treatment they were no longer contagious.

**The Juggler** · 25-08-2010, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by florabird

I would say LO can't come back until ALL redness, itchiness and discharge is gone completely, as it so easily spreads and its virtually impossible to stop little ones touching eyes.

Good luck telling the parent

ditto. I know schools don't exclude but I once allowed a child here and it went through all of us and all the other midnees.

**Millenium** · 25-08-2010, 01:04 PM

Like many, I am amazed that the HPA took it OFF of the exclusion list. I have always found that it spreads like wild-fire and I had to list it specifically in my paperwork whereas previously I had just refrred to the HPA guidelines.

I would definitely say 2 days/48 hours before coming back.

**em29** · 25-08-2010, 01:09 PM

Well as docs seem to say all the time that parents can drop them off at childcare I too will be putting a special paragraph in my sickness policy dedicated to conjunctivitis and excluding for 48 hours after meds started. I cannot be having my daughter missing time off school because a mindee has brought it into the setting.

**ladybug** · 01-09-2010, 06:51 PM

Well i stuck to my guns and did not accept him back, and as it happens he has been to me once in 2 weeks as it spread to the other eye! I am soo pleased I did not allow him in, I wear contact lenses so if I had caught it i would not have been able to work (my glasses are like milk bottle tops!) and my hubby had it abut 6 months ago after catching it from a mindee and he was off work for 3 weeks as he had it in both eyes and had a reaction to the drops the doc prescribed!
thanks all!

**margaret** · 01-09-2010, 07:36 PM

Conjuctivitis doesnt spread like wild fire in childminding homes if hygiene is a priority. Sometimes as a childminder you have to educate parents on hygiene,not just think of it as oh good a few days off from child.

**ladybug** · 01-09-2010, 07:52 PM

Hygiene is always a priority in our home and yet it did spread, wen its an under 3 who has it how can you stop them touching eyes then toys etc, its just not possible when you have other kids to care for too and of course you can't exclude them from any activities!
I disagree that its down to educating the parent, our job descriptions are endless as it is, I am here to care for their little ones and I def did not see it as some time off from him!

**Sarahbelle** · 01-09-2010, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by The Juggler

ditto. I know schools don't exclude but I once allowed a child here and it went through all of us and all the other midnees.

Same here!

**The Juggler** · 01-09-2010, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by margaret

Conjuctivitis doesnt spread like wild fire in childminding homes if hygiene is a priority. Sometimes as a childminder you have to educate parents on hygiene,not just think of it as oh good a few days off from child.

It's not just about parents though, how do you stop a child from rubbing their eye and then touching a toy ? you'd be walking round with anti bac wipes all day unable to play or do anthing else