This month’s blog is written by Jackie Musgrave who is the programme lead for Early Childhood at the Open University.
As March 2020 begins, the coronavirus epidemic appears to be gaining a grip in many parts of the world. It is impossible to predict the impact of the epidemic, is it going to become a pandemic which affects vast numbers of people, potentially killing mostly vulnerable people, or is it going to peak and fade away?
At this uncertain time, my thoughts have turned to how those who work and care for young children can protect them from becoming infected by the virus. The current advice from Public Health England informing us of what we can do to prevent the spread of the virus includes hand washing and using tissues to cover mouths when sneezing and coughing. So really, this is simply the same advice that we should all be following all the time to prevent the spread of any infection.
Children and practitioners in early childhood education and care settings are particularly prone to catching infectious diseases, any place where there are large numbers of people in close proximity are ideal spaces for the transmission of viruses, bacteria and fungi, the micro-organisms that cause infections. However, as ECEC practitioners know, children can be very helpful to viruses because they are not especially reliable in their hand washing habits or their ability to know when they are about to sneeze; often spraying their virus-laden saliva far and wide.
Life-threatening infectious diseases are less of a threat to children than they were in the past. However, infections in children remain a significant cause of ill health even though they are regarded as a minor illness and the effect of infections, such as the common cold, can be underestimated. Kolak et al. (2013) highlight the impact of what can be regarded as minor illnesses on children, citing decreased levels of activity, increased irritability, reduced emotional competence and a reduced ability to engage with those around them, thus impacting on their social development. They go on to state that:
Even though illnesses that are relatively minor and of short duration may not necessitate visits to the doctor, it seems plausible that children who experience minor illnesses on a reoccurring basis may be at an increased risk for poor developmental outcomes. (p. 1234).
And of course, infections affect practitioners’ health and wellbeing causing absenteeism for those unwell and increased workloads for colleagues.
Returning to the earlier point about the coronavirus affecting people who are vulnerable, this is especially relevant to babies and very young children. Not only do they have immature immune systems, but there is an increasing number of children attending early years settings with complex medical needs and chronic health conditions such as asthma and diabetes who are especially vulnerable to infection and require protection
Therefore, careful management of prevention to minimise the spread of infection is imperative to protect all children.
The imperative to prevent infections is ever-present, not just in these uncertain times. Making the space to reflect on how we role-model effective hand hygiene and teach children when and how to hand wash as well as how to use tissues to catch those bodily fluids is a simple and effective way to improve the health and wellbeing of children and all adults – not just in this time of crisis but at all times.
References
Kolak, A. M., Frey, T. J., Brown, C. A. and Vernon-Feagans, L. (2013) Minor Illness, temperament and toddler social functioning. Early Education and Development, Vol 24, No 8, p 1232-44
Further reading
Musgrave, J. Infectious diseases, infestations and the acutely ill child chapter in Musgrave, J. (2017) Supporting children’s health and wellbeing. London: Sage
Musgrave, J. Preventing infections in early years settings. April 2018 in Parenta magazine available from https://www.parenta.com/2018/06/01/preventing-infections-in-early-years-settings/
Useful information
Health Protection Agency: Guidance on infection control in schools and other childcare settings available from http://www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/Guidance_on_infection_control_in%20schools_poster.pdf
Public Health England: guidance on infections in childcare settings available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities/chapters-1-and-2-introduction-and-infections-in-childcare-settings
Public Health England: immunisation information for immunisation practitioners and other health professionals available from