preschool question - possible risk - need advice asap, pls.

[jennycash]

hi everyone - i am new to the forum, so please forgive any newbie faux-pas ;)

i just found a preschool for my 4 1/2 year old (unvaccinated) daughter.  it is a small school and they said a religious waiver would be fine, so not trouble there.  however, i did get this information from the VP of the co-op school:

"I will tell you, with the parents permission, that we do have a family who recently (within the past 2 months) adopted 2 children from Ethiopia.  They have only recently received their vaccines, their first rounds, and grew up in a country where very few people have vaccines, so their exposure was pretty widespread.  One of the young ladies was quarantined in her home country because of a suspected measles or mumps outbreak and the parents never received a clear answer.  That said, I just want you and your family to make as informed a decision as possible about the coop before committing to a final decision."

so, i am looking for input and advice.  my gut reaction is that my daughter will be just fine, but i don't want to put her at risk just because i am REALLY looking forward to her going to school :)  i have to make a decision this weekend.  any help would be greatly appreciated.  thank you!

jen

[shiningpearl]

In my personal opinion, what ever they came from Ethiopia with has run it's course.  They may not be fully vaccinate yet, but your child isn't either.  Would you care if there was another unvaccinated child at the school? Or if a child was currently getting vaccines? 

[kathymuggle]

I would go for it (preschool, that is).

If you are worried you can ask how long they have been out of Ethiopia - anything more than 3 weeks should cover most contagious periods as far as I know.

If it were less than 3 weeks, and I felt squeamish about the idea, I would postpone the start date for my own kids until they had been in the country a little longer.  I would only do this if my gut said to, as I think the risk rate is pretty low.   

edited to add:  here are some incubation periods:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incubation_period

[AerialistEm]

Teach your daughter about hand washing and not touching her face.  I think she'll be fine. 

[LisaSedai]

Looks like it is possible for these children to have been exposed to VPD very early in life, so may have acquired immunity without vaccines ( ie 93% of 1 year olds have immunity to polio) I agree with PP that whatever they were exposed to from their home country would have already appeared by now. I would wonder about their Hepatitis status though... if they were infected earlier they could currently be carriers without appearing ill. I wonder if adoptees are tested for HIV/Hepatitis?

I would send my kid to the preschool and it is a good idea to teach all children about hygiene and health practices- wash your hands, cover your cough/sneeze, don't be putting things in your mouth unless it is food, don't share drinks/food someone has eaten off of. In addition, I would explain to them if someone is bleeding or has a cut on the playground to tell an adult.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8187657

Ethiopia is endemic for many viral diseases. Serosurveys have demonstrated the high prevalence rate of hepatitis B virus. There are also indications of high transmission for hepatitis C, hepatitis E and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The population is exposed to poliomyelitis, hepatitis A, measles, rubella and mumps early in life. Rotaviral diarrhoea is an important cause of infant morbidity and mortality.

. Prevalence of hepatitis B virus increases with age ( 75% of adults in urban areas and many rural areas). The frequency of carriers of hepatitis Bs antigen is greatest in areas where people practice ceremonial tattooing. During 1988-1989, 93% of jaundiced patients in a military camp in Ethiopia had antibodies to hepatitis E virus as a result of a waterborne outbreak. Other hepatitis viruses in Ethiopia are delta and C viruses. All 3 serotypes of poliovirus exist, especially type III. 93% of 1-year-olds have already acquired immunity to it. Peak frequency of onset among paralytic cases is 2 cases. Measles epidemics are common in children. An outbreak in southwestern Ethiopia had a mortality rate of 20%. Immunity to rubella is around 85% for 14-year-olds. It increases with age. Rotavirus causes diarrhea in many children, especially among 7-12 month old infants and in June and November. Most children have been exposed to Epstein-Barr virus, which is responsible for mononucleosis and maybe for Burkitt's lymphoma.

[jennycash]

thanks for replying!  i appreciate the input, especially the table showing incubation periods.  i feel better knowing that, almost without exception, the adopted children would have already shown symptoms of a serious illness if they had it.  we're going to send her and just teach her to be careful....good advice no matter what the circumstances.  

thanks again!

[mattemma04]

Unlikey you will deal with measles or mumps,but as a non-vaccinator you should be prepared for those anyway. More likely your child will have strep,pinkeye,and other common illnesses.