CAPÍTULO II: MARCO TEÓRICO
2.2 Bases Teóricas
2.2.8 Profesores de Nuevo Ingreso
Description
Mosquito-borne diseases spread through mosquito bites. Mosquitoes may pick up diseases from infected animals or infected humans, but not every mosquito carries a disease.
Common mosquito-borne diseases in Australia include Ross River virus, Barmah Forest virus and dengue fever. other mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, Murray Valley encephalitis and Japanese encephalitis, are very rare.
Ross River virus occurs throughout Australia and is spread by a variety of mosquito species. Symptoms include fever, headache, and joint pain and swelling, followed by a rash. the joint pain can be severe and usually lasts 2–6 weeks. however, 70–90% of people have only slight symptoms, and some people, especially children, have no symptoms at all.
Barmah Forest virus has similar symptoms to Ross River virus, but the illness is usually shorter. Australia is the only country where Barmah Forest virus has been identified.
Dengue fever can cause no symptoms, mild symptoms with fever, or severe symptoms causing death. Symptoms can include sudden onset of fever, intense headache, muscle and joint pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, skin rash as fever subsides, severe itching, minor bleeding and extreme tiredness.
dengue haemorrhagic fever is a rare complication of dengue fever that causes rapid deterioration, heart and lung complications, shock and sometimes death.
How does it spread?
Mosquito-borne diseases are not spread directly from person to person. the mosquito picks up the virus from an infected person or animal, and spreads it when it feeds on another person or animal.
Incubation period
the incubation period varies according to the virus: • Ross River virus: usually 3–11 days
• Barmah Forest virus: usually 3–11 days
• dengue fever: usually 4–7 days; can range from 3 to 14 days.
Infectious period
Mosquito-borne diseases do not spread directly from person to person, so there is no infectious period. A mosquito that bites an infected person may transmit the infection if they bite another person.
Exclusion period
exclusion is not necessary.
Responsibilities of educators and other staff
See ‘Controlling the spread of infection’.
Responsibilities of parents
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Controlling the spread of infection
• Avoid being outdoors when mosquito bites are most likely to happen. Some mosquitoes will bite during the day, but many are most active for 2–3 hours around sunset and sunrise.
• Use personal ‘tropical strength’ insect repellents containing deet or picaridin—always read the label and follow the manufacturer’s instructions, particularly for infants and young children.
• Make sure insect screens are in good condition, with no holes.
• Wear long-sleeved, loose, light-coloured clothing that covers as much of the body as possible. Mosquitoes can bite through tight clothing.
• Remove any objects in the area that can hold water, such as old tyres or troughs—mosquitoes breed in still water.
• empty pot-plant trays at least once a week, or put sand in them to take up the water.
• Keep fish, such as small native fish, in fish ponds or unused swimming pools to eat the baby mosquitoes as they breed.
• empty paddling pools each day, as soon as children have finished playing in them. • empty birdbaths and pets’ drinking water bowls at least once a week.
• Put a screen with holes less than 1 millimetre diameter over inlets to rainwater tanks.
Treatment
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Mumps
Description
Mumps is an infection caused by a virus that is now uncommon in Australia due to immunisation. About one-third of people with mumps will have only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.38 When symptoms do occur, they include swelling of the salivary glands, high fever and headache; males may have tender testicles, and females may have pain in the lower abdomen.
Serious complications can occur, including inflammation of the spinal cord and brain, hearing loss, sterility (very rare) or death (extremely rare).
How does it spread?
the mumps virus spreads by direct contact with droplets from the sneeze or cough of an infected person.
Incubation period
the incubation period can be 12 to 25 days; it is usually 16–18 days.
Infectious period
the infectious period begins up to 6 days before the glands begin to swell, and for up to 9 days after swelling begins.
Exclusion period
People with mumps should be excluded for 9 days after the onset of swelling, or until the swelling goes down, whichever is soonest.
Responsibilities of educators and other staff
• Advise the parent to keep the child home until they are feeling well—this must be at least until the swelling goes down or 9 days after the onset of swelling.
• Make sure staff and children practise cough and sneeze etiquette and hand hygiene.
• ensure that appropriate cleaning practices are being followed in the education and care service.
Responsibilities of parents
• Make sure children are vaccinated against mumps.
• Keep the child at home until they are feeling well—this must be at least until the swelling goes down or 9 days after the onset of swelling.
• encourage cough and sneeze etiquette and hand hygiene at home.
Controlling the spread of infection
• Mumps can be prevented by immunisation. Fully immunised communities offer the best protection against mumps. Children should be immunised against mumps at 12 months of age and again at 4 years with the measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccine. the vaccine provides long-term immunity; having the illness itself provides lifelong immunity.
38 National Health and Medical Research Council 2008, The Australian immunisation handbook, 9th edn, NHMRC, Canberra.
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• teach children about cough and sneeze etiquette.
– Cough or sneeze into your inner elbow rather than your hand.
– if you used a tissue to cover your nose or mouth when sneezing or coughing, put the tissue in the bin straight away.
– Clean your hands.
• ensure that staff practise cough and sneeze etiquette and hand hygiene. • ensure that appropriate cleaning practices are being followed.
Treatment
there is no treatment for mumps, but it is a vaccine-preventable disease. Children are vaccinated against mumps under the national immunisation Program.
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