For many parents it is very important to know what quarantine is. Is this a serious danger to the child or is it still a precaution? Most often, this situation is announced in educational institutions and kindergartens in the winter during the active spread of the influenza virus.
Several definitions
Quarantine is a closed zone in the territory of which a dangerous disease or virus spreads. Civilians are not allowed to enter or exit this zone. There is also another definition.
Quarantine is an event that aims to reduce the risk of infecting a large number of people in an educational institution or kindergarten with any serious viral disease. There is a special epidemic threshold, that is, the number of infected people, after which this position is introduced in the institution.
Is quarantine dangerous?
A huge number of parents protect their children so much that they can leave the child at home for several months, especially in the winter, so that he does not get sick. Basically, quarantine is declared in kindergartens, since it is the immunity of babies that is most affected by various viruses. Such a decision can be made by local authorities or the management of the institution, but in this case, the time of extraordinary vacations will last no more than a week.
Kindergartens continue to work, only now every day the children are examined by a doctor, and workers are required to wear gauze dressings. Such a situation in an institution may be assigned when at least 1 child, for example, chickenpox, falls ill in a group. At the same time, certain measures are taken in the room. Quarantine in schools can last from 3 to 7 days, and this is mainly due to an outbreak of influenza.
Drive or not?
It is this question that parents ask when they hear that they are quarantining in the kindergarten. In this case, all responsibility lies with adults, so only you can decide what to do. It mainly depends on the causes of the epidemic:
- Chickenpox. This virus is a volatile virus, and it is very easy to catch it, even if your baby has very strong immunity.
- Scarlet fever. They are also not vaccinated against this virus and the risk of catching the disease is very high.
- In a milder form, the child will suffer the following diseases: measles, rubella, whooping cough and mumps.
If a child was quarantined in kindergarten, and you simply don’t have the opportunity to leave him at home, then be sure to carry out some manipulations that will help protect the baby:
- daily measure temperature;
- if quarantine is due to measles, rubella or chickenpox, then check the baby's skin every day;
- for intestinal infections, watch the stool of your child.
Even with minimal suspicion of infection of the child during quarantine, you need to call a doctor or ambulance.