Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases
Section 5 - Communicable Disease Control and Management
Control and Management of Communicable Disease Exposures and Outbreaks
State and local health departments are required by law to safeguard the health of the people of Missouri. Early recognition, reporting, and intervention will reduce the spread of infection in child care settings and schools.
Exposures and outbreaks of communicable diseases in child care settings and schools can result in spread to the general community.
Section 1 includes the exclusion policies for children in child care/preschool and schools. When the child enrolls in child care or school, parents/guardians should be given a list of exclusion policies and given notice whenever these policies change. Some child care facilities or schools may have this information in a student handbook or on their websites. These policies may be useful when exposures or outbreaks occur.
Section 4 contains information on what diseases are reportable in Missouri, what information is needed when a report is made to the local or state health department, and a list of local and state health department disease prevention and control resources in Missouri.
When a communicable disease of public health importance or an outbreak of illness in a child care setting or school is reported to the local or state health department, the health department will investigate the situation. Specific prevention and control measures will be recommended to reduce the spread to others. These measures require the cooperation of the parents/guardians, child caregivers, children, school health staff, healthcare providers, child care health consultants, and environmental health inspectors. In these situations, recommendations will be made by the health department regarding:
- Notification to parents/guardians, child care providers, school health staff, and healthcare providers of the problem.
- Appropriate preventive measures.
- Exclusion of infected children and/or staff.
- Interviews of parents/guardians and staff regarding onset date and type of symptoms. Medical information is considered confidential (see Missouri Revised Statute 192.067).
- Collection of specimens, if necessary.
- Administration of antibiotics, vaccines, or immune globulin.
- Review of cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and handwashing procedures.
- Review of food preparation or storage procedures.
Child care providers and school health staff should be aware that these situations can be very stressful for everyone concerned. Cooperation and good communication help relieve some of this stress.
Reports to Local or State Health Department
Child care providers or school health staff should notify the local or state health department as soon as an outbreak is suspected. Doing so can reduce the length of the outbreak and the amount of activity required to bring it under control.
Notification of Parents/Guardians and Child Care or School Staff
In this manual there are fact sheets labeled PROVIDER and PARENT/GUARDIAN. The PROVIDER fact sheets are intended to be a reference for providers. PARENT/GUARDIAN fact sheets are written so the information should be easy to communicate to parents/guardians.
It is important that child care providers and school health staff let parents/guardians and staff know whenever communicable diseases are found in children attending their programs. The PARENT/GUARDIAN fact sheets contain information to let parents/guardians know what types of symptoms to look for and what prevention/ control measures need to be taken. This manual contains fact sheets on most communicable diseases that you would expect to see in child care or school settings. It is recommended that you either:
- Post the appropriate PARENT/GUARDIAN fact sheet, or
- Send home the appropriate PARENT/GUARDIAN fact sheet to each parent/guardian.
For a REPORTABLE DISEASE, you need to consult the local or state health department before posting or distributing the Parent/Guardian fact sheet.
Many times, getting accurate information from the health department reassures parents/guardians that the situation is being closely followed and that efforts are being made to prevent further spread.
Sample Line List
A line list is a tool that can be used by the provider when the child care or school is receiving sporadic reports of illness in children from different classrooms. It is a standardized way to analyze data to determine the presence of an outbreak. In a line listing, each column represents an important variable, such as name, age, and symptoms present, while each row represents a different case. New cases are added as they are identified.
The line list for gastrointestinal illness is provided as an example. (See document below.) The Bureau of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention can assist you with modifying this tool to collect data on respiratory infections, skin infections, or for other situations.
For more information, call the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) Bureau of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention at 573-751-6113 or 800-392-0272 (24/7), or call your local health department. Contact information for your local public health agency can be obtained from the following website: http://health.mo.gov/living/lpha/lphas.php. [NEEDS LINK]
SAMPLE: Line List for Gastrointestinal Illness.