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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that sharing conjunctivitis is totally unacceptable?

40 replies

lallyp · 21/02/2011 09:19

My best friends DD has full blown conjunctivitis and just made an appearance at a gathering with 10 other little kids and their parents. I explained how infectious it is, how easily it passes from child to child and how horrible it is for most children when they get it and that when my son got it he was very sick and would wake up screaming because his eyes were glued together but she did nothing and just let her DD play as normal.

Immediately after I spoke with her she spoke with another mum in german (their shared 1st language) and were both laughing and I am pretty sure it was about what I had been saying.

I feel really angry and sad. Am I the crazy one? Voices of reason please!
AIBU?

OP posts:
Original poster
lallyp · 21/02/2011 12:08

solooovely - it is really really contagious but so are cold viruses. But the itchy eye thing is very clever on the part of the virus/bacteria as it makes you rub/itch your eyes all the time (especially if you are a kid) so you get it on your hands and spread it to everything you touch, where it stays active/alive for some time (can't remember how long but i think it was a day or two)

Thanks for all your replies. I have decided that i am not being unreasonable but thanks to the forum no longer feel furious at my friend. I hope she enjoyed herself and i really hope it was worth it if another child gets sick due to her selfishness.

OP posts:
TheseThingsAreGoodThings · 21/02/2011 13:15

is she still your "best friend"?

saffy85 · 21/02/2011 13:16

My DD's nursery recently changed their policy regarding conjunctivitis. They no longer automatically exclude children until they are better but it is based on each individual case.

My DD had nasty bacterial conjuntivitis not long ago where the area round her eye was swollen, red and covered in gunk. She was excluded (not that I would have sent her anyway) until it was better. She's had a little problem last week but it was just gunk, didn't hurt and didn't need drops or anything so could still go to nursery.

MamaVoo · 21/02/2011 13:27

YANBU at all. How thoughtless of her. It's a horrible thing for kids to have, not to mention a complete pain in the arse trying to get the drops in.

bonkers20 · 21/02/2011 13:32

As I understand it, you can get bacterial or viral conjunctivitis. Both are contagious, but viral more so I believe.

You can treat bacterial with antibiotic drops, but as viral is more common I believe fewer GPs prescribe drops these days.

The nursery my son attends has no exclusion policy for it, but as the symptoms are quite uncomfortable for the child then I imagine most parents would want their child home for at least a couple of days.

Before I knew all this, I took DS along to the GP with conjuncivitis, he prescribed drops and they cleared it up within 24hrs nearly - along with cleaning with cooled boiled water. I suppose it must have been the bacterial type.

I would not take a sticky eyed child to somewhere like soft play or a party but I'd take them to nursery so I could work (if the child was OK obviously). It's hard. If you have a child who picks up every sniffle and you really have no other childcare apart from nursery you are going to end up having to take them when they're not 100% fit.

babyapplejack · 21/02/2011 13:44

YANBU. I'm really fed up of getting my whole family ill with one thing or another because someone is too selfish to care about infecting others.

didldidi · 21/02/2011 13:50

Surely it's courtesy to stay away - as you should with anything that's infectious.

starfishmummy · 21/02/2011 14:02

YANBU - I caught conjunctivitis in the summer; just thought it was the normal type but it turned out to be viral (they said it might be adenovirus or herpes simplex; none of the swabs grew anything) and I was going to the hospital for weeks and ended up on steroid drops with lots of nasty side effects in an attempt to reduce the scarring. THere is still some scarring which may go away over a period of years, or may not. So I can't imagine anyone wanting their kids to catch that!

Mwnci123 · 28/09/2021 18:50

Our nursery will take kids with viral conjunctivitis, and the NHS guidance is that kids with conjunctivitis don't need to be kept home from school. Although I do see your perspective and would feel a bit "urgh" about it I would say YABU given the public health advice.

AngusThermopyle · 28/09/2021 19:42

@Mwnci123 This thread is 10 years old.
I has imagine it's cleared up now 😂

Nodancingshoes · 28/09/2021 19:59

I totally agree with you. Unfortunately doctors tell the parents at our nursery that they are fine to come in with conjuntivitus... It spreads like wildfire in a nursery and is distressing and uncomfortable for children and staff. We have set our own policy and they can't come in until they have treatment or it is cleared up.

Nodancingshoes · 28/09/2021 20:00

[quote AngusThermopyle]**@Mwnci123* This thread is 10 years old.*
I has imagine it's cleared up now 😂 [/quote]
Oh haha - I didn't notice that!! I'm sure it is :)

Mwnci123 · 28/09/2021 21:49

[quote AngusThermopyle]**@Mwnci123* This thread is 10 years old.*
I has imagine it's cleared up now 😂 [/quote]
Wow, it is! How have I come across it?! Thank you.

Willyoujustbequiet · 28/09/2021 23:18

Yanbu . Shockingly bad parenting.

Not allowed to attend our nursery if dc have it.

Willyoujustbequiet · 28/09/2021 23:19

Zombie thread Grin

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