Infectious diseases in a childhood environment

Without proper precautions, early childhood settings can be prone to the spread of infectious diseases. Review the information in your text on the transmission of infectious diseases (pp. 425–435 and 461–472). Briefly explain the four ways infectious diseases can be spread, giving an example of each. Then identify sanitary practices that can prevent the spread of illness for each of these four methods of transmission.

            In an early childhood environment, inadequate hygiene and personal contact among young children provides germs a great opportunity to spread. An infectious germ undergoes various steps before it is spread to another person. When a child who has an infection introduces the germ in the childhood environment, it must survive in the environment such as food, air, objects, surfaces or water in the childhood setting. It gets passed to another child before infecting that child too (Marotz, Cross & Rush, 2005). The following are the four ways that infectious diseases get spread in a childhood environment.

        i.            Direct contact with other children, surfaces or objects

Infectious diseases spread in an early childhood environment through direct contact with a child, object or surface that is contaminated with an infectious element such as saliva or stool. In a childhood environment, toys, surfaces, doorknobs, restrooms and fabric materials carry many germs when they are not properly sanitized and cleaned. Among diseases that can be spread through direct contact include ring worms, cold sore, warts, chickenpox and boils (Robertson, 2012).

      ii.            Fecal-oral spread of infections

Infections can be spread through fecal-oral means if an infected child does not wash his or her hands after going to the restroom or changing diapers. Among the diseases that are spread through this way include cholera, worms, viral gastroenteritis, salmonella infection and hepatitis A (Robertson, 2012).

    iii.            Respiratory route infection spread

Diseases can be spread through airborne droplets containing germs from an infected child’s respiratory tract transfers to another child when the infected child sneezes or coughs. Infections that can be spread through respiratory route include chickenpox, influenza, common colds, tuberculosis, and whooping cough (Robertson, 2012).

    iv.            Infection transmission through urine, blood or saliva

Some infection in a childhood setting can be spread from one child to another through blood, urine or saliva. Children can infect each other through biting when fighting or inadequate hygiene when children use the restroom. Diseases that can be spread through blood, saliva and urine include cytomegalovirus infection, hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and H.I.V (Robertson, 2012).

Keeping an early childhood environment clean is very crucial to ensure safety, health and well-being of children. There are various ways that daycare providers can reduce the spread of infections by limiting the number of germs in the childhood environment. Routine cleaning of surfaces and toys using soap, water and disinfectants is an effective step that can limit the spread of diseases by reducing the number of germs in the setting (Marotz, Cross & Rush, 2005).  Encouraging and training children to use handkerchiefs and washing their hands after visiting the restrooms or before eating is another way that can reduce spread of diseases in a childhood setting (Robertson, 2012).

Review your course text readings on role modeling, especially pages 392–396, and explain why adults should model good health behaviors for children. Describe three different health behaviors you might model for children and their families. For each, describe at least one step you could take to help children, and possibly their families, adopt these behaviors.

            Modeling good health behavior for children is important because children learn by watching what adults do and behavior in the same manner. Human behavior plays a key part in the prevention of infectious diseases and good health among children. For example, modeling good behavior in eating habits such as washing fruits and hands before eating among children is effective to reduce spread of germs. Role modeling in terms of good health behavior can reduce the spread of infections by training to be aware of their individual health actions (Robertson, 2012). Among the health behaviors that I can model for children and their families include washing hands, using clean items and covering their mouths or nose when coughing or sneezing (Marotz, Cross & Rush, 2005).

Some of the steps that can effectively assist children and their parents ensure good health through these behaviors include cleaning the table that will be used for meals; washing hands prior to preparing or serving food; ensuring that everybody washes their hands before eating; teaching young children to face away from food when sneezing or coughing and washing hands afterwards, and using handkerchiefs when sneezing or coughing (Australian Early Childhood Association, 1991).

Early childhood professionals are not expected to diagnose serious illnesses; however, they should be able to identify symptoms that may indicate infectious diseases common in young children. Imagine, for example, that a 3-year-old arrives at school in the morning with a runny nose. The mucus is clear, and he has no other obvious symptoms except for a slight cough. Because his symptoms are mild, his teacher decides to allow him to stay at school, but she continues to observe him closely throughout the day to see if his condition worsens. Review Tables 12-1 through 12-4 (pp. 464–471) in your text and identify possible illnesses this child might have. Describe the symptoms you would look for if you were his teacher. Under what conditions would you contact a family member and/or emergency medical personnel.

            The possible illness the child could be suffering from could be common cold. Some of the symptoms that I could be looking for associate with common cold to confirm my suspicion include sneezing, coughing, stuffy or runny nose, mild fatigue and discharge from the nose becoming yellow and thicker (Robertson, 2012). When the child develops a persistent cough, difficulty in breathing, an unusual sleepiness, abdominal pain, vomiting, persistent crying, shows signs of dehydration and rise of temperature above 104 F (40 C), I will be forced to contact an emergency medical personnel and the child’s parents or family  member (Australian Early Childhood Association, 1991).

Reference

Australian Early Childhood Association. (1991). Health, safety and nutrition in early childhood     services. Watson, A.C.T: Australian Childhood Association. 

Marotz, L. R., Cross, M. Z., & Rush, J. M. (2005). Health, safety, and nutrition for the young        child. Australia: Thomson Delmar Learning. 

Robertson, C. (2012). Safety, Nutrition and Health in Early Education. Wadsworth Pub Co.