Description
influenza (‘the flu’) is a viral disease of the respiratory tract, characterised by fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and pains, a head cold and a mild sore throat. it can often cause a severe cough. the infected person usually recovers within 2–7 days.
How does it spread?
influenza is very infectious. it can spread through the air by coughing and sneezing, as well as by hands, cups and other objects that have been in contact with an infected person’s mouth or nose.
Incubation period
the incubation period is usually 1–3 days.
Infectious period
in adults, the infectious period is probably from 1 day before the onset of symptoms to 3–5 days from the onset of symptoms. For young children, the infectious period is 7–10 days.34
Exclusion period
People with influenza should stay at home until they are feeling well.
Responsibilities of educators and other staff
• Advise the parent to keep the child home until they are feeling well.
• if an educator or other staff member is ill, they should stay at home until they are feeling well. • Make sure staff and children practise cough and sneeze etiquette and effective hand hygiene. • ensure that appropriate cleaning practices are being followed in the education and care service.
Responsibilities of parents
• Keep the child at home until they are feeling well.
• encourage cough and sneeze etiquette and effective hand hygiene at home.
Controlling the spread of infection
• Annual vaccination is available against influenza. People need to be vaccinated every year because immunity decreases, and new influenza strains circulate each year.
• teach children about cough and sneeze etiquette.
– Cough or sneeze into your inner elbow rather than your hand.
– if you used a tissue to cover your nose or mouth when sneezing or coughing, put the tissue in the bin straight away.
– Clean your hands.
• ensure that staff practise cough and sneeze etiquette and hand hygiene. • ensure that appropriate cleaning practices are being followed.
34 ‘Influenza’, in DL Heymann (ed.) 2008, Control of communicable diseases manual, 19th edn, American Public Health Association, Washington, DC, p. 318; Communicable Diseases Network Australia 2011, Influenza infection: CDNA guidelines for public health units, CDNA, Canberra.
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Treatment
there is no specific treatment for influenza. Because it is caused by a virus, antibiotics will not help treat influenza. however, antibiotics may be prescribed if the person has a secondary infection or complication that is caused by bacteria.
decongestants and other cold remedies are widely promoted for relieving the symptoms of colds, but they are unlikely to help. in fact, they can cause side effects such as irritability, confusion and sleepiness. oral decongestants are not recommended for children under the age of 2 years. Cough medicines do not reduce the frequency, severity or duration of a cough. the cough is there for a reason: it serves a useful function in clearing mucus from the child’s airways and preventing secondary infection. if you are concerned, take the child to a doctor.
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Listeriosis
Description
Listeriosis is caused by bacterium (Listeria monocytogenes) that is commonly found in soil, water and animal feed. it can cause a range of symptoms, including fever, aches, nausea, vomiting and gradual onset of confusion. Most people only have a mild illness, but, if a pregnant woman is infected, it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or premature birth. infants born to infected mothers can also suffer a range of serious illnesses and complications.
How does it spread?
the bacteria that cause listeriosis are usually spread through food. Unlike most other foodborne bacteria,
Listeria tends to multiply in refrigerated foods that have been contaminated. Foods associated with listeriosis include:
• soft cheeses (e.g. brie, camembert, ricotta, feta, blue) and soft-serve ice cream • dairy products that are raw or unpasteurised (e.g. milk)
• pre-cooked meat products (e.g. pâté, deli meats)
• pre-prepared or pre-packaged salads or fruits (e.g. from salad bars) • raw or pre-cooked seafood (e.g. oysters, sashimi, prawns). Contact with infected farm animals can also spread the infection.
Incubation period
the incubation period varies from 3 days to 70 days; the average is 3 weeks.35
Infectious period
Listeria does not usually spread from person to person, except between pregnant women and their unborn children, or during delivery of the infant.
Exclusion period
exclusion is not necessary.
Responsibilities of educators and other staff
• Advise the parent to keep the child home until they are feeling well.
• if an educator or other staff member is ill, they should stay at home until they are feeling well. • Make sure staff and children practise effective hand hygiene, especially after handling food. • inform staff who are pregnant or considering pregnancy about listeriosis risks and how to protect
against infection.
• ensure that appropriate cleaning practices are being followed in the education and care service.
35 ‘Listeriosis’, in DL Heymann (ed.) 2008,Control of communicable diseases manual, 19th edn, American Public Health Association, Washington, DC, p. 360.
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Responsibilities of parents
• Keep the child at home until they are feeling well.
• ensure effective hand hygiene at home, especially after handling food.
Controlling the spread of infection
• ensure that staff and children always practise appropriate hand hygiene.
• Pregnant women or women considering pregnancy can reduce their risk of exposure to Listeria by: – avoiding high-risk foods (see above)
– ensuring that raw fruit and vegetables have been washed in clean water – washing hands, knives and cutting boards after handling uncooked food – avoiding contact with sick farm animals
– avoiding using untreated manure in vegetable gardens.
• Pregnant women or women considering pregnancy should pay particular attention to good hand hygiene after handling food.
Treatment
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Measles
Description
Measles is a highly infectious and serious viral disease. Symptoms include a fever, cough, and sore, red eyes (conjunctivitis). this is followed by a rash of large, flat, reddish blotches that often join up and completely cover the skin. the rash spreads over the entire body, and usually disappears within 6 days. the reason that measles is so concerning is that it often causes very serious complications, including pneumonia and inflammation of the brain. Because of this, measles should not be considered a simple disease. Children with measles are usually very ill; adults with measles are usually hospitalised.
the number of cases of measles in Australia has fallen dramatically over the past 15 years as a result of immunisation programs and other public health measures. however, measles is regularly brought into Australia by overseas travellers, so people in Australia can still be exposed to the virus.
How does it spread?
Measles spreads by mouth-to-mouth contact and airborne droplets. the virus is very infectious can stay in the air for up to 2 hours after an infected person has left the room. it can also spread indirectly by contact with surfaces that have been contaminated by infectious airborne droplets (e.g. hands, tissues, toys, eating utensils).
Incubation period
the incubation period is 7–18 days—usually 10 days.
Infectious period
the infectious period is from about 4–5 days before the rash begins until the fourth day after the rash appears.
Exclusion period
Children with measles should be excluded for at least 4 days after the appearance of the rash.
Responsibilities of educators and other staff
• Contact your local public health unit for advice. • Review vaccination records.
– ensure that children have received one or two doses of measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccine, depending on their age. the public health unit can advise if any children who have not been vaccinated will need to be excluded.
– ensure that all staff have received two doses of MMR if they were born during or after 1966. • Make sure staff and children practise cough and sneeze etiquette and hand hygiene.
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Responsibilities of parents
• ensure that children are fully vaccinated against measles.
• observe the exclusion period. Keep the child at home until they are feeling better.
• Advise any friends, family or social contacts that your child has measles. these contacts may need to seek medical advice if they are pregnant, considering starting a family or not immunised; have a medical condition that compromises their immune system (such as cancer or human immunodeficiency virus— hiV); or are taking certain medications.
• encourage cough and sneeze etiquette and hand hygiene at home.
Controlling the spread of infection
• Measles is best prevented through immunisation with the MMR vaccine. Children should be vaccinated at 12 months of age and again at 4 years of age. the vaccine gives lasting immunity.
• if the education and care service has a suspected or definite case of measles, contact your local public health unit. the staff from the public health unit will help you and local doctors to control the disease.
– Write down the dates that the person with measles was in the education and care service over the past 10 days.
– discuss with the public health staff who in the education and care service might need preventive treatment and who should be excluded from care.
• teach children about cough and sneeze etiquette.
– Cough or sneeze into your inner elbow rather than your hand.
– if you used a tissue to cover your nose or mouth when sneezing or coughing, put the tissue in the bin straight away.
– Clean your hands.
• ensure that staff practise cough and sneeze etiquette and hand hygiene. • ensure that appropriate cleaning practices are being followed.
Treatment
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