Signs and Symptoms of Common Childhood Illness

TDA 2:2         safeguarding the welfare of children and young people

2.                     2.1   Signs and symptoms of common childhood illnesses.

Campylobacteriosis:
Campylobacteriosis bacteria are a common cause of gastrointestinal infection that affects both adults and children.
Symptoms:
Abdominal pain
Cramping
Diarrhoea
Sickness
Malaise
Fever
Usually lasts for around 2 to 5 days and can be confirmed by a stool specimen. The incubation period is usually between 2 to 5 days, it could be up to 10 days in some cases. Usually returning to school is when the child is feeling well enough.

E Coli:
Symptoms:
Diarrhoea
Abdominal cramps
Vomiting
Fever
Usually lasts around 5 to 7 days, the incubation period is between 3 to 4 days. Once the diarrhoea has stopped the child can return to school.

Hand, foot and mouth:
Symptoms:
Fever
Sore throat
Headache
Small painful blisters inside mouth tongue and gums
Blisters may go on fingers, hands and feet
This is contagious and the incubation period is from 3 to 6 days. The child can return to school when feeling well.

Impetigo:
Impetigo is a skin infection
Symptoms:
Clusters of red lumps/ blisters
Maybe fluid- filled blisters
Sores around the mouth, nose and skin
This is contagious and the incubation period is from 4 to 10 days. After 24 hours of antibiotics it will no longer be contagious and the child may return to school.

Chickenpox:
This is an infection caused by varicella-zoster virus.
Symptoms:
Slight fever
Rash – first on the body and face then spreads anywhere
Starts with small red flat spots going into itchy fluid-filled blisters
After blisters break they become open sores that eventually crust over
This usually lasts about 10 days
Chickenpox is spread by direct contact and is contagious before the spots appear and until all the blisters have scabbed over.

Croup:
This is an infection of the throat caused by a virus called croup in 5 years and under and called...