Quick question - where do I stand with caring for a child with impetigo

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I'm a nanny and youngest charge has impetigo - where do I stand with caring for him? Can I refuse?

As a nanny you can not really refuse as it is part of your job to care for ill children. It is highly infectious, so you need to keep the child away from other people "until lesions are crusted and healed, or 48 hours after commencing antibiotic treatment" (this is from the HPA guidance on infection control for Schools/Childcare Settings)

If you feel you are at high risk from the disease for some reason, then perhaps your employer may let you take some annual leave. If the child is very unwell with it, then your employer may well decide to stay home with their child and you may just need to care for the other children.

Why on earth would you do that???

Make sure charge is clean and creamed and comfortable.
Keep towels for other family members seperate, clean/wash hands to prevent infection of yourself and other charges.

Though if your first reaction is to refuse care of a child who is ill, maybe you should do the family a favour and look for a new career.

If you already have the antibiotics and creams, the lesions should be covered with a plaster during the day anyway. And the antibiotics/creams kick in very fast.

Since little ive been prone to getting impetigo badly - hence why not wanting to care for the child as really don't want to end up with it.

He was given anti biotics this evening but doubt mum will start using them as she never does start immediately

You need to follow a scrupulous hygiene routine until it is clear.
That's all.
One of my charges had impetigo and neither myself or his other two siblings, or his parents caught it. All cleared within a week.
You can give him his medicine in the mornings and before you leave in the evenings can't you?

Cover any sores/cuts you may have, however small. Wear gloves when applying cream, and do not touch the child's skin without gloves on. Wash your hands frequently, do not share towels and do not lie on their bed.

Impetigo is common and is mostly a childhood disease, so it comes with any work with children. Take measures to reduce the chances of infection spreading and if you are extremely prone to catching things off children, then maybe consider if working with young children is wise. A lot of the time with childhood illness, there will be an incubation period (Impetigo does not show symptoms until 4 to 10 days after infection), so you will catch things before you know a child is infectious.

I'm not sure how often he needs it as not seen what one he got yet. I'd do that but with it being Friday he won't have much before the weekend and then probably none.

It's Thursday where I am... where is it Friday - New Zealand? Are you in Aus/NZ, or Asia or some where like that were it is already Friday?

Do you have a medication log? Set one up and ask the parents if they could make of note of when they give medication, as you do not want to be giving an overdose. Though your real reason is to find out if they are giving it... not sure why you are assuming them won't give it - though maybe you have been with the family a long time and know what has happened in the past.

Chances are that if you are going to catch it, you already have done so unless you have not been with the child during the last couple of weeks. So look out for symptoms and contact doctor as soon as you spot anything on yourself so that you can get the antibiotics to help your immune system fight the infection.

I meant it being Friday tomorrow.

Have a medication log - before they haven't recorded or done it - the last one Is more likely as it always seems to take ages and ages to get through the medicine and ages for it to clear or go

Mumsnet is global these days, so it was possible you were posting from NZ/AUS As you are new to this board, we have yet to get to know you well.

Not sure there is much you can do about parents not giving medication. You though do need to know if s/he had any so you can give it during your working day - assuming they let you give medication.

Infection control is going to be your task tomorrow I would guess, plus trying to keep the child and others occupied. Soon be the weekend... do you work at weekends? With luck things will be looking crusted over come Monday.

On the impetigo issue; suck it up, hazard of the job.

I hope you're starting to feel better though . I imagine getting impetigo is the last thing you need. My charge is prone to it and has it a lot and none of us have ever caught it from him, so fingers crossed you'll avoid it this time.

Don't work weekends & luckily the other is at school all day.

Am allowed to give medication as long as recorded and signed.

Guess its going to be a long day tomorrow!

Thanks Outraged - bad day today but as expected as a poorly Boy :(

as a nanny you will be likely to care for children that sometimes have infectious/contagious illness, and as leeds said, fraid its suck it up

hopefully you wont get it,but as you are prone, as nick said you would have been in contact prior so may catch it - maybe you are a carrier and 'infected' your charge without reliesing it

this happened to a friend of mine with coldsores/herpes virus tho slightly different

what would annoy me though if the fact it seems your boss;s dont give medication and this is wrong

they need to be made aware how serious this is and to give his antib's 3/4 times a day as instructed

yes do a log and when you go in tomorrow if she hasnt given him tonights dose, or tomorrows morning one then say to her how important it is

It took two 5-day courses to clear up my son's impetigo plus cream, nose crean and a shower gel afterwards to prevent dry skin and further infection. Keep your skin really moisturised and use gloves. By being super hygienic we managed to not catch it.
You really do need to use the antibiotics and the nasal cream is really important if he has that because that is often where the impetigo begins.

Hello I'm in a bit of a pickle, a friend and I had arranged to meet up tonight for a catch up, she had said she and her child had been unwell and said it was a cold, so we met as planned, before she could get her child settled she needed to go upstairs to ready the bedroom and asked that I watch her child just while she got sorted, her child was snotty but i assumed this was to do with the cold, so we played a puzzle and she passed me books we read together, but after her mother came down she then informed me it was impetigo, I have a 5 month old baby at home so I instantly got concerned, since I only was just hearing this, I'd had no reason to go especially careful so if I'd handled a book or scratched my eye or face in anyway u couldn't remember, this was information I really would have wanted to know before I went round, she assured me she had disinfected everywhere, but as I say the puzzles and the books we were using while she was upstairs, im probably overreacting I've bagged up all my clothes disinfected my body and bathed I'm just paranoid if I have been given it how to approach this in regards to my baby I don't want her at risk of getting impetigo, any advice much appreciated thanlyou

Friend did not warn me her child had impetigo when I have a 5month old baby

Hello I'm in a bit of a pickle, a friend and I had arranged to meet up tonight for a catch up, she had said she and her child had been unwell and said it was a cold, so we met as planned, before she could get her child settled she needed to go upstairs to ready the bedroom and asked that I watch her child just while she got sorted, her child was snotty but i assumed this was to do with the cold, so we played a puzzle and she passed me books we read together, but after her mother came down she then informed me it was impetigo, I have a 5 month old baby at home so I instantly got concerned, since I only was just hearing this, I'd had no reason to go especially careful so if I'd handled a book or scratched my eye or face in anyway u couldn't remember, this was information I really would have wanted to know before I went round, she assured me she had disinfected everywhere, but as I say the puzzles and the books we were using while she was upstairs, im probably overreacting I've bagged up all my clothes disinfected my body and bathed I'm just paranoid if I have been given it how to approach this in regards to my baby I don't want her at risk of getting impetigo, any advice much appreciated thankyou