Cross contamination is especially prevalent in places that hold a lot of people who might not be the most prudent about basic hygiene. Daycares, for example, are generally susceptible to cross contamination. While facility cleanliness is always important to daycare centers, equipment cleanliness can be hard to maintain. The following infections could become very serious if your child’s daycare center doesn’t take child care decontamination seriously.
1. The Flu
The influenza virus is seasonal, occurring more often in the late fall and throughout winter. It causes nausea, fever, and body aches. Different strains of the flu are more dangerous than others, but all of them should be treated very seriously. If your child gets the flu, they need to stay home as an exercise in child care infection prevention.
2. MRSA
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, MRSA for short, is a type of staph bacteria that is widely resistant to many different antibiotics. Roughly 2% of the population are carriers of MRSA. It can cause pneumonia, serious skin rashes, and even meningitis. The best steps toward protecting against MRSA is through prevention.
3. Clostridium Difficile
This is another ‘superbug’ that presents symptomatically with diarrhea. Surprisingly, this bacteria is more commonly found in people who have recently taken antibiotics and have a slightly off-center immune system. It has killed many people worldwide.
4. Escherichia Coli
E.Coli is actually found naturally in our digestive tracts, but there are certain strains that make you sick. Food poisoning symptoms like vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, and uneasiness are all common E.Coli symptoms as well. On top of that, though, this bacteria is extremely resistant to antibiotics. Thankfully, those strains are rare.
5. Streptococcus Pyogenes
Strep can be found in the lungs or throats of 5%-15% of all humans. In 25% of serious cases, the bacteria causes fatal illnesses to develop, eventually killing whoever carries it. Luckily, most strep infections are easily treatable with a round of penicillin.
Protecting your children from the risks associated with cross contamination is a duty every parent and child care provider must undertake. There are too many illnesses that have developed antibiotic resistance to not have an infection defense strategy.
