AVOCA STREET MEDICAL CENTRE
130 Avoca Street Randwick NSW 2031
Tel: 02 9399 3335 - Fax: 02 9399 9778

Web: avocastreet.info
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Childhood Infectious diseases


Chicken pox | Conjunctivitis | Gastroenteritis | German Measles | Glandular Fever
Hand Foot and Mouth Disease | Head Lice | Hepatitis A | Impetigo | Influenza | Measles
Meningococcal Disease | Molluscum Contagiosum | Mumps | Ring worms | Scabies
Scarlet Fever | Slapped Cheek | Whooping Cough


Chicken Pox
  • Time from exposure: 10 to 21 days, usually 14 to 16 days.
  • Symptoms: Slight fever, runny nose, and a rash that begins as raised pink spots that blister and scab.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, for 5 days from the onset of the rash and the blisters have dried.
  • How can I help prevent spread? Immunise your child at 18 months of age. Immunisation is recommended for children at 12 years if they are not immune.

Conjunctivitis
  • Time from exposure: 1-3 days.
  • Symptoms: The eye feels scratchy, is red and may water. Lids may stick together on waking.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, while there is discharge from the eye.
  • How can I help prevent spread? Careful hand washing; avoid sharing towels. Antibiotics may be needed.

Gastroenteritis
  • Time from exposure: Depends on the cause: several hours to several days.
  • Symptoms: A combination of frequent loose or watery stools, vomiting, fever, stomach cramps, headaches.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, at least for 24 hours after diarrhoea stops.
  • How can I prevent spread? Careful hand washing with soap and water after using the toilet or handling nappies and before touching food.

German Measles (Rubella)
  • Time from exposure: 14 to 21 days.
  • Symptoms: Often mild or no
  • Symptoms: mild fever, runny nose, swollen nodes, pink blotchy rash that lasts a short time. Can cause birth defects if pregnant women are infected.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, for at least 4 days after the rash appears.
  • How can I help prevent spread? Immunisation (MMR) at 12 months and 4 years of age.

Glandular Fever
  • Time from exposure:4 to 6 weeks.
  • Symptoms:Fever, headache, sore throat, tiredness, swollen nodes.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? No, unless sick.
  • How can I help prevent spread? Careful hand washing, avoid sharing drinks, food and utensils, and kissing.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease
  • Time from exposure: 3 to 5 days.
  • Symptoms: Mild illness, perhaps with a fever, blisters around the mouth, on the hands and feet, and perhaps the nappy area.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, until the blisters have dried.
  • How can I help prevent spread? Careful hand washing especially after wiping nose, using the toilet and changing nappies.

Head Lice

Hepatitis A
  • Time from exposure: About 4 weeks (can range from 2 to 7 weeks).
  • Symptoms: Often none in small children; sudden fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes), dark urine, pale stools.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, for 2 weeks after first symptoms or 1 week after onset of jaundice.
  • How can I help prevent spread? Careful hand washing; those that have had close contact with an infected child may need to have an injection of immunoglobulin; immunisation is recommended for some people.

Impetigo (School Sores)
  • Time from exposure: 1 to 3 days.
  • Symptoms: Small red spots change into blisters that fill up with pus and become crusted; usually on the face, hands or scalp.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, until antibiotic treatment starts. Sores should be covered with watertight dressings.
  • How can I prevent spread? Careful hand washing.

Influenza (Flu)
  • Time from exposure: 1 to 3 days.
  • Symptoms: Sudden onset fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, muscle aches and headaches.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, until they look and feel better.
  • How can I prevent spread?? Careful hand washing, especially after coughing, sneezing or wiping your nose. Immunisation, is recommended for children with chronic illnesses.

Measles
  • Time from exposure: About 10 to 12 days until first symptoms, and 14 days until the rash develops.
  • Symptoms: Fever, tiredness, runny nose, cough and sore red eyes for a few days followed by a red blotchy rash that starts on the face and spreads down the body and lasts 4 to 7 days.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, for at least 4 days after the rash appears.
  • How can I prevent spread? Immunisation (MMR) at 12 months and 4 years. Childcare/school attendees who are not immune may be excluded for 14 days after onset in the last case at the facility.

Meningococcal Disease
  • Time from exposure: Usually 3 to 4 days (can range from 2 to 10 days).
  • Symptoms: Sudden onset of fever and a combination of headache, neck, stiffness, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness or rash.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Seek medical attention immediately.
  • How can I help prevent spread? Individuals who have had close contact with the infected child should see their doctors urgently if symptoms develop, and may need to have a special antibiotic. Immunisation with Meningococcal C vaccine at 12 months of age.

Molluscum Contagiosum

Mumps
  • Time from exposure: Usually 16 to 18 days (can range from 12 to 25 days).
  • Symptoms: Fever, swollen and tender glands around the jaw.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, for 9 days after onset of swelling.
  • How can I prevent spread? Immunisation (MMR) at 12 months and 4 years of age.

Ringworm
  • Time from exposure to till illness: Varies (may be several days).
  • Symptoms: Small scaly patch on the skin surrounded by a pink ring.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, until the day after fungal treatment has begun.
  • How can I help prevent spread? Careful hand washing.

Scabies
  • Time from exposure: New infections: 2 to 6 weeks; reinfection: 1 to 4 days.
  • Symptoms: Itchy skin, worse at night. Worse around wrists, armpits, buttocks, groin and between fingers and toes.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, until the day after the treatment has begun.
  • How can I prevent spread? Individuals who have had close contact with the infected child should be examined for infestation and be treated if necessary. Wash linen, towels and clothing worn in the past 2 days in hot water and detergent.

Scarlet Fever
  • Time from exposure: 1 to 3 days.
  • Symptoms: Sudden onset sore throat, high fever and vomiting, followed by a rash in 12 to 36 hours.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, until at least 24 hours of treatment has begun and the child is feeling better.
  • How can I prevent spread? Careful hand washing. Sick contacts should see their doctor.

Slapped Cheek
  • Time from exposure: 1 to 2 weeks.
  • Symptoms: Mild fever, red cheeks, itchy lace-like rash, and possibly cough, sore throat or runny nose. Can cause foetal disease in pregnant women if they have not been previously infected.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? No as it is most infectious before the rash appears.
  • How can I prevent spread? Careful hand washing; avoid sharing drinks.

Whooping Cough
  • Time from exposure: Usually 9 to 10 days (can range from 6 to 20 days).
  • Symptoms: Starts with a running nose, followed by persistent cough that comes in bouts. Bouts maybe followed by vomiting and a whooping sound as the child gasps for air.
  • Do I need to keep my child home? Yes, until the first 5 days of a special antibiotic have been taken.
  • How can I help prevent spread? Immunisation at 2, 4, 6 months and 4 years of age. A particular antibiotic can be given for the patient and those that have been in close contact. The infected child should be excluded from childcare and school until 5 days after treatment begins. Unimmunised childcare attendees may be excluded from childcare unless they take the antibiotics.


Chicken pox | Conjunctivitis | Gastroenteritis | German Measles | Glandular Fever
Hand Foot and Mouth Disease | Head Lice | Hepatitis A | Impetigo | Influenza | Measles
Meningococcal Disease | Molluscum Contagiosum | Mumps | Ring worms | Scabies
Scarlet Fever | Slapped Cheek | Whooping Cough

Source: www.health.nsw.gov.au

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Immunisation and Health Check




No Jab, No Pay – Immunisation Requirements

To meet immunisation requirements and be eligible for their full rate of Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A, children need to be immunised in accordance with the National Immunisation Program early childhood vaccination schedule, on an approved catch-up schedule or have an approved exemption.

From 1 July 2018, families with children who are not immunised according to the early childhood vaccination schedule appropriate for the child’s age (and do not have an approved exemption) will have a reduction applied to their FTB Part A child rate for each child who does not meet the immunisation requirements.

Vaccine objection (previously known as conscientious objection) is no longer an exemption category. Families with children aged over 12 months who do not have an approved exemption — for example a medical exemption (medical contraindication or natural immunity certified by a recognised immunisation provider) or, in very limited circumstances, a Secretary’s exemption — are not eligible to receive their full entitlement to FTB Part A for that child.

For further information visit the Department of Human Services website.

Healthy Start for School - Health Check Requirement

In addition to the immunisation requirements, if an individual receives FTB Part A and the individual or their partner is receiving an income support payment during the income year that their child turns four, they need to make sure their child gets a health check before the child’s fifth birthday.

State and Territory based health assessments or a general health check provided by a local GP are acceptable health checks. For example, an individual may meet the requirements of this initiative if they have completed the three year old check outlined in their child’s personal health record book.

From 1 July 2018, a reduction will be applied to an individual’s FTB Part A child rate from the child’s fifth birthday if the health check requirement is not met, or if the individual does not notify the Department of Human Services that a health check has been completed, by the child’s fifth birthday. The reduction will apply for the corresponding number of days that the individual or their partner received FTB Part A and an income support payment during the income year that the child turned four.

For more information visit the Department of Human Services website.

For people who do not speak English, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is accessible from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call.

The information in the above were collected from the internet,
either from government websites or from reasonably reliable health information sources.
They are for general information only and should not replace the need of seeking medical care during illnesses.

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