Journal 10

Health Alert

We have have been informed the children in the Preschool 1 classroom, have been exposed to "Hand, Foot, & Mouth" disease.

Description

 Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is an illness that causes sores in or on the mouth and on the hands, feet, and sometimes the buttocks and legs. The sores may be painful. The illness usually doesn't last more than a week or so.

How it travels

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is caused by a virus called an enterovirus.
The virus spreads easily through coughing and sneezing. It can also spread through infected stool, such as when you change a diaper or when a young child gets stool on his or her hands and then touches objects that other children put in their mouths. Often the disease breaks out within a community.  The child is most contagious the first week they contract the virus. The virus can stay in the stool for up to two months before it is completely gone.

Symptoms

• fatigue
• sore throat
• fever between 101 and 103
• rash before sores appear
• sores on hands, feet, buttocks, throat, and inside mouth including on tongue and inside cheek area.

How to treat

This illness has no specific treatment. Be sure to offer your child plenty of fluids, and avoid acidic or spicy foods. Be sure to wear gloves when touching areas that could be affected, and wash thoroughly after care.  Aviod sharing toys, and  kisses and hugs between siblings and parents.

If you suspect your child is affected

Please contact your family doctor to schedule an appoinment as soon as possible, and keep child away from other children until you are seen. If a child is affected they will be asked to be out for three days or untill all blisters have disappeared.

Doing our part

To keep the spread from continuing, we are bleaching and sanatizing all toys in rooms, as well as washing all bedding and dress up toys. We are strictly enforcing proper diapering procedure with all staff and children (as we always do) to ensure we are not spreading the illness.  Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns and we would be happy to speak with you. We will ask all infected childrens parents to comply to our good health handbook policies on treating and returning. Copies related to hand, foot, and mouth are attached. Thank You.