Illness and Infectious Disease
Child Care Health Consultant Competency 6: Preventing Illness and Infectious Diseases
(Source: Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, Child Care Health Consultant Competencies)
A CCHC helps staff apply knowledge about how diseases spread, infectious diseases that are common in ECE programs, and steps to take to reduce the spread of disease. A CCHC also:
- Assists programs with implementing and monitoring strategies to reduce illness, such as handwashing, gloving, diapering, cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting procedures
- Assists programs with implementing and monitoring Standard Precautions
- Models healthy behaviors and supports staff in teaching and modeling healthy behaviors for children, such
as proper handwashing, and cough and sneeze hygiene - Helps programs work with families to keep children fully immunized
- Helps programs understand the importance of appropriate staff immunizations and encourages staff
compliance - Works with programs to implement a daily health check
- Ensures programs have access to current and evidence-based materials about infectious disease
Find a CCHC in your community.
Featured Initiatives and Resources
The NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center maintains a searchable communicable disease chart with exclusion requirements and recommendations.
The Immunization Branch promotes public health through the identification and elimination of vaccine-preventable diseases like polio, hepatitis B, measles, chickenpox, whooping cough, rubella (German measles), and mumps.
This is the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guide on the prevention and management of infectious diseases in group care settings. The guide identifies symptoms of infections, how they are spread, when to seek medical attention, and more.
Additional Resources
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Immunization
This website provides a directory of national AAP immunization activities and contact information to assist pediatricians and healthcare professionals in answering immunization related questions. Immunization information for parents and clinicians is provided. - Catch-Up Immunization Scheduler
This tool determines the vaccines a child six years or younger needs and is especially useful for quickly seeing missed or skipped vaccines according to the Immunization Schedule. - CDC Seasonal Flu Information
This resource webpage has information about the flu which is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness. Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions are at high risk of serious flu complications. - CDC Vaccines and Preventable Diseases
The CDC provides vaccine recommendations and disease information for people of all ages. Vaccination is one of the best ways parents can protect infants and children from 16 potentially harmful diseases. - Children’s Environmental Health Unit – NC DHHS
The Children’s Environmental Health Unit includes three programs that play vital roles in the health of our children; Child Care Sanitation (CCS) Program, North Carolina Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP), and School Sanitation Program. Click here to identify local Environmental Health Staff. - Flu.NC.gov
This resource webpage has information, in English and Spanish, from North Carolina Flu Preparedness. The site lists things that can be done to prevent individuals from catching or spreading seasonal flu. Helpful factsheets and North Carolina contact information is also provided. - Immunization Action Coalition
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) works to increase immunization rates and prevent disease by creating and distributing educational materials for healthcare professionals and the public that enhance the delivery of safe and effective immunization services. - Why Immunize?
This resource webpage has information and resources from The Arizona Partnership for Immunization.