Course: Preventing and Managing Infections in Childcare and Pre-school

As you have already considered, babies and toddlers use their sense of touch to learn about the shape and texture of things. In the early months, fingers and hands aren’t …

Hygiene is a group of activities we do to prevent the spread of harmful microbes. By knowing how to effectively keep these microbes from spreading in schools, childcare settings, homes …

Now you have been introduced to microbes, we will focus on where they can be found. Please watch the video below, from BBC News. This is an additional video, hosted …

It is important that good respiratory hygiene is taught from a young age, and that key messages are built on over time. This is especially important in the approach to …

We learned earlier about bacteria, viruses and fungi: three different types of microbes that can cause infection. Someone who has contracted harmful disease-causing microbes is said to be infected. Diseases …

Hand hygiene is possibly the single most effective way of reducing and preventing the spread of infection and an important behavioural intervention to instil and reinforce from a young age. …

We will start by introducing what microbes are, and describing the three main types – bacteria, fungi and viruses. Microbes Microbes, also known as microorganisms, germs, or bugs, are tiny …

Now we have covered how to control and manage outbreaks, we will discuss the example of COVID-19 and how it has impacted childcare settings. COVID-19 is a virus which causes …

We will now focus briefly on the importance of vaccines. Vaccines keep us from catching dangerous infections and help us avoid the need for medical treatments like antimicrobials. How Vaccines …

Having an ill child is a very scary experience for parents and carers. Understanding more about how a child feels when they are ill can help you feel more in …

In week one we mentioned that there are both useful and harmful microbes in food – good food hygiene is vital to avoid foodborne illness (food poisoning). What do microbes …

Infectious disease can spread quickly in childcare environments, meaning it is vital to know who to contact when local infection outbreaks occur. An outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences …

The short animation above provides some tips on how to keep different areas of a childcare setting clean. Plastic toys should be washed in sterilising fluid, such as Milton solution …

Immunity is the body’s ability to protect itself from infections. Our body is extremely efficient at keeping us healthy and has multiple lines of defence that limit infections caused by …

The following activities have been adapted from the Antibiotic Guardian Youth Badge Pack, and can be carried out with children to teach them about how bugs spread and the importance …