Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has introduced a new policy covering measures to prevent and control infections at early education institutions.
The policy identifies nine health conditions that require temporary absence of children and staff from the institution:
1. High fever: A body temperature of 38°C or higher may indicate a fever, often caused by viral or bacterial infections.
2. Flu-like symptoms: These include a runny nose, cold, sore throat, cough, headache, and body aches, which are common among various contagious diseases.
3. Eye-related symptoms: White or yellow discharge, eye pain, redness of the eye or surrounding skin, or swollen eyelids require the child to stay home and consult a specialist. A medical certificate confirming the absence of any contagious disease is necessary before returning to the institution.
4. Rashes: These may precede contagious diseases such as measles, chickenpox, or hand, foot, and mouth disease.
5. Nausea or repeated vomiting: Two or more episodes accompanied by fever.
6. Diarrhoea: Abnormal occurrences of two or more episodes in a short period.
7. Head lice: In cases of suspected or confirmed infestation.
8. Symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease: Fever, mouth sores, and rashes (usually on hands and feet), which is a common and highly contagious illness in early education institutions.
9. Other contagious symptoms: Symptoms may appear before visible signs of an illness.
The policy mandates informing parents, staff, and the institution’s administration if a child or employee is diagnosed with an illness. The affected individual (child or staff member) must remain absent until symptoms completely subside.
Sick leave and reporting procedures
The new measures require early education institutions to clearly outline sick leave policies for staff in their employee handbooks. These should include procedures for notifying the institution of absences, submitting required documents, and providing a medical certificate confirming fitness to return to work in accordance with health authority guidelines.
The policy specifies five mandatory actions for early education institutions:
1. Child immunisation requirements.
2. Basic preventive measures and hygiene practices.
3. Infectious disease management procedures.
4. Conditions requiring temporary absence of children and staff.
5. A communication plan for parents.
Institutions must collect immunisation records or relevant medical information upon enrolment and inform parents of children who are not vaccinated due to medical exemptions, unavailability of vaccines, or age restrictions.
Unvaccinated children may be excluded from the institution during outbreaks or pandemics of vaccine-preventable diseases, even if they are in good health.
Hygiene and preventive measures
The new policy emphasises fundamental hygiene practices, such as handwashing, personal care, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by staff for hygiene and food-related tasks, and maintaining cleanliness of the environment and teaching materials. Additional measures include washing fabric items like stuffed toys, rugs, and cleaning tools, as well as properly disposing of waste.
Other precautions include:
• Prohibiting toys from being brought into restrooms.
• Preventing sharing of personal items.
• Using protective covers for sandpits, water tanks, and swimming pools.
The policy requires parents to inform the institution if their child contracts a known contagious disease. Institutions must clearly outline the steps they will take to ensure the safety and care of children suspected of having a contagious disease, including:
1. Advising parents and staff to seek diagnosis and treatment.
2. Informing families and staff promptly with relevant information and precautions when a contagious disease is confirmed.
3. Providing parents with clear guidelines on symptoms that must be absent before their child can return to the institution.
4. Reporting cases of vaccine-preventable diseases (e.g., diphtheria, mumps, polio, Hib, meningococcal infections, rubella, measles, whooping cough, tetanus, or outbreaks of gastrointestinal or respiratory diseases) to the Department of Health as soon as possible.
5. Contacting emergency services if a child displays symptoms requiring immediate medical attention.
