All About Bugs!
All About Bugs… (Often called the winter bug but can be caught at any time of the year so don’t be fooled!) “Norovirus”
AKA – The Little Acorns guide to taking this virus down!
AKA – The Little Acorns guide to taking this virus down!
How long does it take to catch a sickness bug?
“For example, the most common cause of stomach flu is Norovirus. It has an incubation period of about 12 - 48 hours, and can cause the person to be contagious during the incubation period and for as long as they shed virus (usually about three days 72 hours after symptoms stop but sometimes up to two weeks)."
“For example, the most common cause of stomach flu is Norovirus. It has an incubation period of about 12 - 48 hours, and can cause the person to be contagious during the incubation period and for as long as they shed virus (usually about three days 72 hours after symptoms stop but sometimes up to two weeks)."
In terms of our children how might this look?
Well, while they are carrying the virus at the beginning of the incubation period they are contagious because of their behaviours and this is the time we need to be vigilant, they shed the virus in lots of different ways and because they don’t understand what is happening they need the adults around them to limit the spread of the virus for them, make them comfortable and protect others they come into contact with, including the adults who work with the children, the children's adults, pregnant and vulnerable members of our Little Acorns community.
Well, while they are carrying the virus at the beginning of the incubation period they are contagious because of their behaviours and this is the time we need to be vigilant, they shed the virus in lots of different ways and because they don’t understand what is happening they need the adults around them to limit the spread of the virus for them, make them comfortable and protect others they come into contact with, including the adults who work with the children, the children's adults, pregnant and vulnerable members of our Little Acorns community.
Their behaviour doesn’t often change during this period and so they spread the virus through symptoms and behaviour such as:
- Having a runny nose or blocked nose. They can’t see it and don’t understand what it is so they may wipe it on furniture, on a cushion, on their clothes or just across their face. Younger children need the adult to permanently act as nose wiper, older children need to be taught how to do this safely using a tissue in a pinching motion, throwing it away and washing hands.
- A very soft nappy that may have an unusually foul smell. Obviously at home you may be using bare hands, it might be worth investing a box of gloves just for times of illness so that you can contain any body fluid a bit easier, these can be pulled off and tucked inside the nappy sack leaving clean hands to dress and adjust. Then you can wash hands fully as they are up and playing.
- A tummy ache and/or loose poo or a cramp feeling while they need and are going to the toilet is a clear sign all is not well. At this point they need the adult to take over cleaning for them as they will attempt to wipe it themselves, and they will wipe it as they usually do, but it will be unusually, wet, sticky and ‘spready’ as one of our children described it. If they are left to do it themselves the germs will be spread into clothes, onto taps, toilet seats and paper holders, the flush and the door handle.
- Not washing their hands effectively particularly if going to the loo has been rather different, they may try to use just cold water, and skip using soap, and this might be followed by wiping their hands on the wrong towel. Ordinarily they can cope with hand washing, but when it doesn’t go according to usual patterns, lots of bathroom play and antics can follow as they try to ‘sort it out’ in a very ‘helpful way’. Dirty hands will then touch toys and other children resulting the spread of the virus.
- Mouthing toys. It is a developmental stage, but one you want to discourage unless it is a toy intended for chewing. A mouthing toy can be put in front of a child trying to chew things, therefore training them that some things can be chewed, and somethings are best not to. They can hurt themselves chewing toys that are not intended to be chewed. Identified chewed toys can then be washed and kept clean to reduce spread of illness. If you see a child chewing a toy remind them ‘not in your mouth’,
- Dribbling. Can be a sign of teething, and it can be a sign of illness too alongside a blocked nose making children breathe a lot through their mouths. Either way make good use of dribble bibs and change regularly to keep dribble off furniture, toys and the floor.
- Sneezing on people and furniture. Unlike adults, children cannot predict the sneeze coming and adapt their behaviours, they will allow the sneeze to come as an automatic response, a reflex, and then wait for the adults to help them deal with the aftermath! Of course, by this time the illness is spread in the air and onto surfaces.
- Coughing. A persistent cough is a sign that all is not well. It doesn’t matter if the cough hasn’t gone to their chest at this point, a dry cough, a wet cough, a productive/unproductive cough, a persistent cough, an Asthmatic sounding cough, they will all slow a child down and create an unhealthy environment where illness will be spread. Each will need their own treatment - sips of warm diluted juice, an over the counter cough remedy for children, an inhaler with accompanying guide or instructions. Obviously if the cough becomes persistent or heavily chesty it is a game changer and an infection could be present needing a GP visit. If it limits their breathing capabilities, then a GP visit is necessary, 111 NHS advice or even A and E.
Children need to be taught to cough onto the back of their hand or the crook of their arm keeping their hands illness free. Then they need to wash their hands effectively.
Children get exhausted with coughs, they cannot function fully, the coughing gets worse over the day at moments of activity, talking or laughing, it reduces appetite and cough remedies make children drowsy. Their cough may improve if they are inactive, have just had food or drink, or Calpol. But generally, their cough needs to go the distance and they need to rest at home and sleep when they need to.
Simply therefore, if children are harbouring any of these early symptoms, or combinations of them, the best place for them is at home. Something is brewing, and they need to be resting allowing the virus to do its thing. (The exception being teething, if it is clear that is the cause of the dribbling and there are no other more serious symptoms.)
Children get exhausted with coughs, they cannot function fully, the coughing gets worse over the day at moments of activity, talking or laughing, it reduces appetite and cough remedies make children drowsy. Their cough may improve if they are inactive, have just had food or drink, or Calpol. But generally, their cough needs to go the distance and they need to rest at home and sleep when they need to.
Simply therefore, if children are harbouring any of these early symptoms, or combinations of them, the best place for them is at home. Something is brewing, and they need to be resting allowing the virus to do its thing. (The exception being teething, if it is clear that is the cause of the dribbling and there are no other more serious symptoms.)
After being ill, can my child return at the 48 hour mark?
The answer is not simply ‘yes’.
The advice for the Norovirus is that there should be a 72 hour clear AFTER the last time they were ill with sickness or diarrhoea. Some schools are now adapting their sickness policy to include a 72 hour recuperation time to reduce the risk of the spread of virulent viruses such as Norovirus which is highly contagious.
At the moment, the 48 hour recuperation remains but it is a minimum standard. The interpretation of it remains as ‘At least 48 hours’. In many cases children carry many other symptoms of illness as the same time, and together or in combination, they are a very clear sign that illness/virus/infection are still present. Therefore, a 72 hour clear makes far better sense. At this point also, they are still ‘shedding the virus’ and are still contagious. Clubs/swimming/mixing in a crowd will give the virus more opportunities to spread. Consider the impact of being ill in a pool!
The answer is not simply ‘yes’.
The advice for the Norovirus is that there should be a 72 hour clear AFTER the last time they were ill with sickness or diarrhoea. Some schools are now adapting their sickness policy to include a 72 hour recuperation time to reduce the risk of the spread of virulent viruses such as Norovirus which is highly contagious.
At the moment, the 48 hour recuperation remains but it is a minimum standard. The interpretation of it remains as ‘At least 48 hours’. In many cases children carry many other symptoms of illness as the same time, and together or in combination, they are a very clear sign that illness/virus/infection are still present. Therefore, a 72 hour clear makes far better sense. At this point also, they are still ‘shedding the virus’ and are still contagious. Clubs/swimming/mixing in a crowd will give the virus more opportunities to spread. Consider the impact of being ill in a pool!
Viruses are self-limiting, and so they need to work their own way towards a conclusion, but they still need treatment and soothing with over the counter remedies, natural remedies and care. Advice says that the effects of the Norovirus can be present for up to 2 weeks. It is not just ‘another little tummy bug’. If many over the counter remedies are being used your child belongs at home resting.
Other symptoms to watch out for are:
- Mouth sore. This can be seen around the mouth and lips, and can be overlooked, but it can become infected, look at bit like impetigo, and can be ‘stingy’ as the children say. It needs to be soothed with a cream/barrier cream, check with the pharmacist what might be best, and the check that it isn’t impetigo. If it is, then you will need a GP appointment and antibiotics. It is highly contagious. Children often want to scratch it, and frequently lick the area to ease it.
- Ulcers. A sign of being very run down. It effects appetite and sometimes makes children put their fingers in their mouth. If they are still carrying the virus this can mean that then that they must keep cleaning their hands to stop any spread of infection. Bonjela can relieve symptoms, but obviously, it is not something that we can administer at LAs. They can be a sign of Hand, Foot and Mouth.
- Drowsiness. When children are recuperating, they need time to rest and keep warm. Little children don’t know how to rest and appear to ‘keep going’ right up until the moment they ‘crash’ and need to sleep. They sometimes appear ‘OK’, ‘bouncing around’, but actually they are still ill and their energy will come and go in waves and dips. Sometimes they have a malaise about them, a discomfort, ill feeling, uncertainty, and it is difficult to identify what is causing it. Again, it is easy to overlook this, but when combined with any of the other symptoms, in the lead up to being ill or following being ill, it is a clear sign that all is not well. They don’t just ‘crash’ and need to sleep heavily for no reason. Sometimes children need encouraging to rest, sit, look at books, watch a bit of TV, wrap up in a blanket and rest. At LAs we can accommodate ordinary rest and sleep time, but with an ill child we do not have the space to adult ratio to isolate a sleeping/resting area for children to be for a prolonged length of time in order to be nursed. Combined with a possible intolerance and other symptoms they are better being nursed and cared for at home where they can be drowsy and undisturbed by others who want to continue to play enthusiastically around them!.
- Fluctuating temperature. When fighting an infection a child’s temperature can fluctuate enormously, we will take temperatures over the day but it is noticeable that when an infection is being fought, temperature can rise and fall quite frequently, and they can move from appearing well, to feeling ill and back again quite swiftly. It is like when you take a chance and call the Doctor out only to find that your child appears fit and well and gurgling happily as the Doctor arrives! They are unwell, and we can see this fluctuation very clearly. Likewise don’t be fooled if we call you and your child appears to be bouncing excitedly as you arrive to pick them up. We don’t call a parent to pick up lightly, we would have had a clear concern.
- Sore throat. This can sometimes be heard in the quality of their voice, or by the fact that they are off their food, or only choosing softer options like grapes, yoghurt, banana or pasta pieces. Young children are not sure about anatomy and cannot always identify where their throat is, often describing the pain as coming from their neck, or even putting their fingers in their mouth to try to touch where it hurts. It could range from a straight forward sore throat with a cough to a way more complicated tonsillitis.
- Earache. Often accompanying a sore throat or throat infection, they may put their fingers in their ear to indicate their ear hurts. It can be blocked sinuses, glands, or as simple as teething. Explore this alongside other symptoms.
- Aversion to light and noise, the need to be away from other children, becoming agitated very easily, calling at others to ‘go away’, asking for blinds down and light off. This can be a serious symptom and so look for rashes and the wider range of symptoms that accompany it such as a stiff ‘hurty’ neck, headache, . It could be as straight forward as a headache, and as a more serious meningitis.
More seriously…
When more severe symptoms combine you could have a far more serious case of illness on your hands and often we hear in the news about symptoms being missed, overlooked or dismissed with nasty or even fatal consequences.
For example, headache, aversion to light or noise, stiff neck, rash, vomiting, sleepy, vacant, confused, or even seizures, add up to a possible Meningitis diagnosis.
Likewise, fever, vomiting, limb or muscle pain, shivering, pale skin, breathless, rash, sleepy, vacant, confused can add up to the dreadful Septicaemia.
When you visit your GP or decide to opt for the hospital do not minimise the symptoms, see them as a whole, a picture of health, to give the health practitioners the best opportunity to diagnose quickly, and your child the best fighting chance of recovery.
Please visit our website Little Acorns Godstone-home and look at the documents and information from the NHS and over health organisations to read about NHS Health Advice for, chicken pox and shingles, conjunctivitis, glandular fever, Hand, Foot and Mouth, Head Lice, Flu, Measles, Meningitis and Septicaemia , Norovirus and COVID (Coronavirus).
When more severe symptoms combine you could have a far more serious case of illness on your hands and often we hear in the news about symptoms being missed, overlooked or dismissed with nasty or even fatal consequences.
For example, headache, aversion to light or noise, stiff neck, rash, vomiting, sleepy, vacant, confused, or even seizures, add up to a possible Meningitis diagnosis.
Likewise, fever, vomiting, limb or muscle pain, shivering, pale skin, breathless, rash, sleepy, vacant, confused can add up to the dreadful Septicaemia.
When you visit your GP or decide to opt for the hospital do not minimise the symptoms, see them as a whole, a picture of health, to give the health practitioners the best opportunity to diagnose quickly, and your child the best fighting chance of recovery.
Please visit our website Little Acorns Godstone-home and look at the documents and information from the NHS and over health organisations to read about NHS Health Advice for, chicken pox and shingles, conjunctivitis, glandular fever, Hand, Foot and Mouth, Head Lice, Flu, Measles, Meningitis and Septicaemia , Norovirus and COVID (Coronavirus).