Qualification: NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator
Unit: Unit 1.5: Understand how to support children who are unwell
Learning outcome: Know common childhood illnesses
Assessment criteria: Identify exclusion periods for common childhood illnesses
To prevent the spread of infection in an Early Years setting, children with particular illnesses will be required to stay at home until the risk of them infecting others has been considerably reduced. This is known as the exclusion period.
The exclusion periods for particular illnesses can vary between settings, so it is important that you are familiar with your own organisation’s policies and procedures. The government maintains a list of recommended exclusion periods, which has been the source for the table below:
Illness | Exclusion period |
---|---|
Common cold | No exclusion period |
Flu (influenza) | Until recovered |
Whooping cough | 2 days from starting antibiotic treatment, or 21 days from onset of symptoms if no antibiotics |
Tonsilitis | No exclusion period |
Stomach bug/food poisoning | 48 hours after diarrhoea and vomiting have stopped |
Chickenpox | At least 5 days from onset of rash and until all blisters have crusted over |
Measles | 4 days from onset of rash and well enough |
German measles\Rubella | 5 days from onset of rash |
Mumps | 5 days after onset of swelling |
Scabies | After first treatment |
Scarlet fever | Until 24 hours after starting antibiotic treatment |
Hand, foot and mouth disease | No exclusion period |
Impetigo (bullous & non-bullous) | Until lesions are crusted or healed, or 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment |
Ear infections | No exclusion period |
Meningitis | Until recovered |