Day Care Chicken Pox Etiquette

[fklwmn]

One day, he was coming home from school and I said my usual "see ya tomorrow!" and he replied "I won't be here.  I had a test on my arm and can't come back until my doctor writes a note".

I said "see you then!", when I was actually thinking "eeeeeekkkk! Tuberculosis!"

Well, his family spends a lot of time in the tropics.

It's possible to be a positive reactor to the TB test. You don't have the disease but when they do the skin test on your arm it reacts positively. After a positive reaction they X-ray your chest to check your lungs which clarifies if it's TB or a false read.

I used to work in a nursing home and we had to be tested-I'm a positive reactor so had to go get the chest X-ray and a note from my doc to confirm that I didn't have it. One you have a false reaction you can't have another skin TB test or you can have issues with the test site on your arm.

Lol-and of course no one in my class wanted to sit by me after my skin reacted until I'd gotten the chest X-ray. Nothing like feeling like a pariah. 

LOL. there is also another TB test that can be done on positive reactors. I think it's called a 'TINE' test? I'm not sure. My dad always have to have that test b/c he is a positive reactor. And I remember when we travelled to and from Korea when I was a kid we had to have that test and it HURT! lol.

[stanthedevil]

When I was in grade school (and I'm 25 by the way), there was a note sent home right before first time a kid in my grade got chicken pox (probably around 1st grade). It detailed that one kid in the grade had a kidney transplant and cannot be exposed to chicken pox (if he was, there was additional medicine he had to take). It said that if your kid has been exposed or has the chicken pox to contact both the school and "child's parents". It explained the dangers for the kid and encouraged that if your kid had the pox to keep them at home. So there was alot of activity when someone had the chicken pox. Letters were sent, etc. His mom never blamed anyone or made a big deal, she just wanted to know.

It could be that the daycare just wants to take the extra percautions. You never know about what medical issues other kids might have that could be affected. "Actionable" item by the parents? Definately overdone. Letting parents know, maybe not so bad.

My brother has a heart defect and getting chicken pox could have been very dangerous for him.  Unfortunately with six kids running around, it was impossible for him not to be exposed.  However, there is a shot that the doctor can give that helps to limit the symptoms.  My brother got them when he was four and is luckily no worse for the waer.

[jfulle5]

FWIW, I'd bet it's not chicken pox. DS1 is also highly allergic to mosquitoes. Which of course means that they LOVE him. When he was about 18 months old he was covered in bites. COVERED. despite all the bug spray in the world. everywhere we went people thought he had chicken pox. I even got yelled at by a woman at chuck e cheese who just KNEW they were chicken pox. THEY WERE BUG BITES!!!! and yes, they did take forever to get better.

When he was 2 he got chicken pox. I knew right away. They didn't look the same as his bug bites. For one, they were *much* smaller (his bites always swelled up). Luckily it was a mild case (this was before insurance would cover the varicella vaccine). I got him dressed in the morning, he was fine. We ran a few errands, and came home. When I took his pants off, his legs were covered in pox. I took one look at him and said, this doesn't look like bug bites. Called the doc who looked at him, called it chicken pox, and that was it.

And I hate to tell those parents, but if your daughter had chicken pox, they are most contagious before they are actually showing. I'd also be willing to bet that their kids are mostly vaccinated so they have very little to worry about, regardless! They need to get over themselves.

Renas pox look exactly like her typical bites which even threw off her doctor. They are just as red and puff and dont look like blisters. That's why I couldnt tell, that and they never spread.

[alli_wan]

I think the daycare is out of line.

They should have sent a note home to let parents know in the event there is a susceptible person in the household AND especially because children are exposed to more people around the holidays, but until the government provides every parents with a personal communicable disease psychic, I don't see how they could justifiably 'take action'.

If you had dropped off an obviously sick child, that would be different.