Thread: Mono, strep and Head Start.....

I have to vent here. My daughter (27) has had her son (4, almost 5), my grandson, in Head Start for the past two years now. It has seemed that this year, since he was put into the "general" Head Start program (Last year he was in the one for students of that college she was in), he has been sick non-stop.

Now, today, she called, after seeming to have had one virus or illness after another. First it was pink eye, that would not go away, and with that, spots in the back of his throat, they gave him an antibiotic for that, saying it was strept.

Then this last week, he seemed to have the stomach flu. Last night, he showed an all over rash on his body, which alarmed my daughter, but her husband told her to wait till today to see if it went away. Now today it was worse.

So now she sits at the emergency room, them telling her they believe it is mono because not only the rash, but his eyes are yellowed.........They said he would have been exposed about 4-6 weeks before the initial symptons started. My teen son had said yesterday that is has seemed like since he was in the general program, he has been sick non-stop. He is right.

The common thread we have noticed was that 75% of the kids in this program are children of suspected illegal aliens (the 4 year olds are struggling to just now learn English, this is what prompts our suspicion).

While in the public schools, in kindergarten, our youngest, now 12, was up against seemingly the same issue. Over half the kids could not speak English, the teacher spent much time with them while the American kids were not taught anything, and the only learning they did was some words in Spanish, and a great deal of sickness (she left kindergaten that June not even knowing a letter, but some words in Spanish!!).

Is this simply my overreacting, or are we really seeing a trend here, and if so, what do you all think is bringing on all of this illness? My own opinion is that the parents of these kids, being generally under-educated/uneducated, do not have the knowledge to recognize when their kids are sick and to keep them home. My son said he thinks it is because essentially they can shove the kids out the door for some time of free "child-care" and free meals, so they care little how sending their sick kid can affect others.

It was my experience when I placed my son in private day care at age 3 that he suddenly developed a series of upper respiratory infections which were difficult to clear up. He was in an excellent, very well-run, caring, and immaculately clean day care center. This was 30 years ago, and every staff member and child enrolled was a native-born American. He received well-prepared food and took a nap every day. I just had to accept that this evidently was the price I payed (or more exactly, he payed) for my working and not being at home with him. I say this especially because, as a member of the last generation which was not vaccinated for a majority of childhood diseases, I knew from my own experience that, from the time my oldest brother started school, it seemed like one of us alway was at home in bed during the winter recovering from a communicable childhood disease. I once worked with a man who contracted measles at age 35 because his wife was a school teacher and there had been a measles outbreak at her school. It doesn't make the situation any easier, but I think it's perhaps more about their being in school, or in any group where germs are readily transmitted despite people's best efforts. I remember when I was in elementary school (almost 40 years ago!) the same several girls in my class regularly developed Pink Eye during one school year. They were kept home from school until they recovered, and, happily, I know of no one else who ever caught the disease from them.

There have been a number of flu like viruses going around this year with many people sicker than usual. But I can't help wonder if viruses that people bring with them from other countries may not be somewhat different to what people in the US have been exposed to and have developed some immunity against. There were some articles about the SF Bay Area becoming a hub for viruses brought in by travelers from Asia.

How do we know that cold germs in the US are the same as those from Latin America? Perhaps they are mutated a little differently?

Like I say a lot of people were sicker than usual this fall. But, nothing would really surprise me any more.

Well, she just called us and said they identified it as being strep, still, although he has been taking amoxicillan for about 10 days now.....needless to say, this worries me more than mono.

I now have to wonder, is this antibiotic resistant strep? That can be very serious. Though, they just sent him on home....I told her I am not comfortable with that as it can escalate quickly and if the antibiotic is not working, then something else needs to be done.

Texas, I can agree with you, kids do just pass stuff along and they do get sick more than adults just due to their touchy, sleeve use nose wiping nature (sneezing on stuff and others touching it before it can be sanitized).

Though, I also agree with CaptainRon, we are seeing more and more drug resistant illnesses, and some of that comes from "misuse" of prescribed antibiotics. All too often, apparently, some parents might think the kids seem ok, and they stop the antibiotics, this gives the bacterial infection a chance to mutate and become resistant to the medicine. Next kid gets it and then the medicine no longer works. In our society, it has been pounded into our heads (even my mother, now 69, knew this) to finish all of the medicine, even if you feel better.

As for bugs and such being different in differing parts of the world, to some degree, this is so. I have read numerous articles how bacterias and viruses have mutated, or even new diseases people here are not resistant to, being brought in. This is why our immigration system, as it should be working (but is not fully), was implemented to protect us from this very threat.

This is where I am concerned, or that these parents having not been as educated in the proper use of antibiotics, are inadvertantly spreading stuff and making matters worse.

One prime example of the problems that arise, that we have been witness to. A while back a little girl living here was over, we had not seen her in days. She said she had been sick, and her mother had taken her to the clinic. The doctor said she had a "bug" in her stomach that was making her very sick (she had vomiting and diarrhea for days before they took her in). I teased her about not washing her hands good.

She then told me the bugs were from that and the toilet paper in the bathroom.....I was not too sure what she meant, so pressed her. She said "from the dirty toilet paper in the garabge". Ah....they had that habit of throwing out instead of flushing it, and then not having good hygiene habits afterwards. This is what I know, and what likely comes with some of these kids, to the Head Start and public schools.