Tots from West Fife nursery hit by salmonella bug

Published 19 Oct 2010 09:30 38 Comments

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Four children who attend a West Fife nursery have been confirmed as suffering from Salmonella group B infection.

NHS Fife said that the cases were identified in early October and none of the children are seriously ill.

GPs and other health professionals in Fife have been informed, and NHS Fife is working with Fife Council and others to look into possible sources of infection.

Parents of children at the nursery, which has not been named, have been advised to contact their GP surgery if their child experiences diarrhoea or vomiting and to keep the child away from nursery until they have been symptom-free for 48 hours.

Dr Margaret Hannah, NHS Fife deputy director of public health, said, “We are continuing to work with our environmental health colleagues to see if any particular source of this infection can be identified.

“Meanwhile, I would like to remind parents that any child with diarrhoea needs to be kept away from school or nursery until 48 hours after symptoms have settled.

“If symptoms persist, they should seek medical attention from their GP.”

Salmonella is a bacterial infection that generally affects the gut, causing gastroenteritis.

Symptoms can last for several days and include diarrhoea, stomach pains, fever, flu-like symptoms, nausea or vomiting.

NHS Fife said that washing hands is a very simple and the most important way to avoid spreading the infection.

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fifer
Unregistered User
Oct 19, 22:43
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THIS makes me sick to the back teeth they disclose half a story never give full story .WHY dont they ever disclose the nursery that it effects and where .Have they shut it down i just wounder if its the carnagie one a lauder collage again .

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tanya
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Oct 20, 21:15
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hi does anyone no which nursery this was as my son has had sickness and diarrheoa for past week and has been off all this time. and now its the holidays so i dont no if it was his nursery or not. was told its prob a tummy bug but hes still got it. so wuld like to no if it could poss be salmonella as would be able to let his doc no that hes been in contact with it. i think its wrong for them not to name the nursery as my son could have something serious. and docs just say its a tummy bug. if any one knows pls let me no thanks.

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fifer
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Oct 20, 21:42
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HI THIS IS FOR TANYA .IF YOUR SON HAS HAD THIS FOR OVER 1 WEEK AND BEEN TO YOUR GP WHY DID THEY NOT ASK FOR A STOOL SAMPLE .I HAD BUG LAST YEAR AND AFTER A FEW DAYS THE GP GAVE ME SAMPLE BOTTLE TO SEND AWAY TO BE TESTED .SO IF IT WAS MY CHILD I WOULD BE GOING ASKING FOR SAMPLE BOTTLE .AS ISAID ABOVE THEY PUT STORY IN DUNFERMLINE PRESS BUT NEVER TELL YOU WHICH NURSEY IT IS .IT MIGHT BE PRIVATE NURSERY IT DOES NOT SAY ITS A SCHOOL NURSERY DOES IT .I SAME NAME ANS SHAME THE PARENT AND THE NURSERY

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MrsT
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Oct 21, 12:56
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I agree this article is not particularly clear and probably cause more alarm than anything else. My child is at the nursery affected and what the aricle doesnt say is that the owners of the nursery, its a private one, personally contacted all the parents this week to explain the situation and the steps they have taken to combat the spread of the bug. The environmental health team have been in and confirmed the source of the bacteria did not come from the nursery but from an infected child attending the nursery and it subsequently spread through contact. So no naming and shaming required. My child has been there over the last 2 weeks and is showing no signs of illness. The nursery owners handled it very well and as a parent impacted by this I was comfortable enough to send her in again today. I would also agree with previous posts that if you're child has been ill for over 3 days you should definitely get a sample done.

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another parent
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Oct 21, 14:07
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I asked for my earlier comment to be removed, as I too have a child at the nursery and came out in support for the nursery and the owners. I was worried about any repercussions when I had explained how the infection had been transmitted, but now I see I am not the only parent to have explained what has happened.

The parents of the child who initially became unwell (due to the incubation period of this bacterial infection, there is no way that this child picked this up at nursery) knew that their child had been unwell over the weekend, but instead of waiting for 48 after the symptoms had subsided, they sent their child to the nursery and said nothing. Their child would still have been infectious at this stage so they risked the health of all the children and staff at the nursery, instead of keeping their child at home as they should have done, until the risk of infecting others had passed.

They are fortunate that the affected children have not become more unwell.

Maybe this will be a lesson for them as what may only be case of diarrhoea and vomiting in children and adults who are otherwise fit and well, is not necessarily true for people whose immune systems are already compromised or women who are pregnant.

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fifer
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Oct 21, 21:49
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THIS IS FOR ANOTHER PARENT .I DONT GET YOU COMMENT YOU ASKED FOR YOUR EARILER COMMENT TO BE REMOVED THEN WRITE OTHER ONE DOES NOT MAKE SENCE DOES IT

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Scarlett
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Oct 21, 22:07
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Usually these cases spread due to insufficient hygiene from the nursery staff. Not always their fault though, in private nurseries they are generally understaffed and undertrained with a lack of hygenic materials to do the job properly. Private nurseries are all about making a profit at the end of the day, and shortcuts are taken!

Name and shame them, I agree - The truth will out eventually, through word of mouth if nothing else. I certainly wont be sending my kids there!

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granma
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Oct 21, 22:44
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MY grandkids used to go to a private nursery and we picked them up one day and was shocked that the girls and boys used same toilet and it was in where kids hung there coats and ther was not even a door to seaparate them .THEY stopped going because they were allways catching somthing .

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WeylandYutani
7 posts
Oct 21, 23:30
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@fifer

Your comments to 'another parent', they explained why they wanted their original comment removed in the first paragraph of their second post.

I agree with some of the posters here that have children at the nursery in question, if the parents of the infected child sent them back to the nursery too early when they seem to have ignored medical advice then they should face some sort of disciplinary action.

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another parent
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Oct 21, 23:30
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Fifer, maybe if you take the caps lock off you wouldn't come over in such an aggressive manner!!

I had written a comment, very similar to MrsT, but I was concerned that I may have divulged too much information, re the source of the infection, which is why I asked for my first comment to be removed.

It is not my fault that you had not read my earlier post!

And Scarlett, all it takes for this particular bacterial infection, is for a toilet trained child to take him/herself to the toilet - who will not be supervised completely in any situation, council or private nursery, not wash their hands properly, play with a toy, then an unaffected child come along and play with the same toy = spread of infection, nursery staff do not have the time to disinfect toys between each child playing with them! Nor should they.

Having visited several nurseries in this area, I have no hesitation in sending my child to this nursery and I would rather they attend here and be 1 of 20 with 4 staff, instead of 1 of 80 with 4 staff, as they would be in the local council nursery.

My children have attended several nurseries and this is the nursery that I have been most happy with, I can go to work knowing that they will be well looked after and seeing the same staff week after week is very reassuring too.

For what it's worth, my work consists of a lot of infection control, so if I had any worries about the day to day procedures and infection control procedures with this nursery, my child would not be attending this nursery, but as they have done everything and more, I have no hesitation in sending my child there.

The blame has to lie at the parents who knowingly sent their child to a nursery before the 48 symptom free period had passed.

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MrsT
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Oct 21, 23:59
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i totally agree with another parent. The nursery in question is of a very high standard else i wouldn't be sending my child there. My eldest also attended that nursery whilst of the pre school age. I dont understand the name and shame witch hunt attitude, especially when you have 2 parents both explaining the nursery wasnt at fault and expressing their satisfaction with a well run nursery.

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Another mummy
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Oct 22, 11:10
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My child is involved in this and the only people I blame are the parents who sent their sick child to nursery without saying anything. I have no hesitation in sending my child back to this nursery so lets not get carried away in naming and shaming. I firmly believe in this case, that the Nursery is NOT to blame so keep silly comments to yourself if you don't know that facts.

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Rocketman
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Oct 22, 12:42
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Mmm. Methinks the last 3 comments go abit over the top in their 'defence' of this nursery, not related to the owners are you perchance? Or employees?

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OTHER PARENT
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Oct 22, 13:28
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THIS IS FOR THE ANOTHER PARENT YOU SAY YOUR WORK CONSISTS OF INFECTION CONTROL.OH I TAKE IT YOUR MAYBE ONE OF THE NURSEIS THAT WASH YOUR HANDS ALL THE TIMME AND TAKES THERE UNIFORM OFF AT WORK AND DOES NOT WEAR IT OUT SIDE TO GO HOME IN .YOU SAY YOUR GLAD YOUR CHILD SEES THE SAME NURSERY STAFF DAY IN AND DAY OUT .SO YOUR SAYING SCHOOL NURSERIES HAVE DIFFERENT STAFF EVERY OTHER DAY OR WEEK DONT THINK SO .WELL IF THIS IS THE CASE THE CHIL IN QUESTION GOT SENT BACK TO EARLY TO NURSERY WHY DID THE NUSERY STAFF I QUOTE NOT SEND THIS CHILD BACK HOME SO THE NURSERY ARE JUST AS MUCH TO BLAME ARE THEY NOT .IM NOT TAKING SIDES HERE I WOULD BE THE SAME IF MY CHILD HAD THIS AS WELL .

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another parent
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Oct 22, 15:11
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No, I am not the owner or an employee at this nursery, I am a parent of a child who attends this nursery and I am annoyed that my child was put at risk of contracting salmonella by parents who were too thoughtless to keep their sick child away from the nursery.

Fifer/other parent, I presume you are the same person due to the poor spelling, dreadful grammar and persistent use of cap locks?

The parents of the child who had been unwell said nothing to the nursery staff as they knew that their child would not have been able to attend the nursery! Nurseries will ask how children have been, so if parents do not divulge that their child has been unwell, then can I ask you how they are expected to know this information?

Yes, I am a nurse and yes you are right, I don't wear my uniform home as I wear hospital scrubs when I am in a clinical area and we have to be exceptionally strict when it comes to hand hygiene in the area where I work.

Fifer/other parent, where exactly did I say that it was in council run nurseries that a child would see a different member of staff? I have had this experience recently in a private nursery where my children used to go, every time I dropped them off, I saw a new person.

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FIRST TIME ON HERE
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Oct 22, 16:16
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FOR the above replyer you say you would rather have your kids go to a nursery with one being of 20 and having 4 staff look after them .RATHER than go to a council run nursery where your child would be looked after if went with 80 kids and 4 staff .NOW that a bit over the top i no the council and hospitals cut coners but 80 kids is away over the TOP WITH JUST 4 STAFF DONT THINK SO .THIS WOULD BE BIG MAJOR HEALTH AND SAFTEY ISSUES .I NO IT GOES ON IN THE QMH BECAUSE IVE BEEN IN THERE AS A PATIENT AND TO VISIT .SO DONT PREACH TO ME ABOUT AND I TAKE IT YOUR A HIGH CLASS MEMBER OF THE HOSPITAL .

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another parent
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Oct 22, 17:10
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Please check some of the local council nurseries, one near me can take 80 children in the morning session and 75 in the afternoon session, their child to staff ratio, 1 member of staff to 20 children, so 4 members of staff for 80 children!!

Doesn't go against any health and safety regulations at all.

Would also like to say "First Time on here" that you must be related to FIFER/OTHER PARENT as you all seem to enjoy using cap locks and have the same poor spelling and grammar!

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FIRST TIME ON HERE
Unregistered User
Oct 22, 19:14
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From first time on here i can set your mind at rest im not realated to any one who has posted any thing on here sorry you have wrong person .If this is the welcome i get i will not be on again .

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another parent
Unregistered User
Oct 22, 19:26
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I don't think you are telling the truth "FIRST TIME ON HERE" because in your supposed first post, you say " .SO DONT PREACH TO ME ABOUT..."!

I can hardly preach to someone in a post that was made before they made they had even visited this site, can I?

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FIRST TIME ON HERE
Unregistered User
Oct 22, 19:50
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From first time on here you say ive been on before as i was supposed to have wrote so dont preachto me about .Will say again ive never been on before .So any one that makes a comment and says about whats written on here must have been on before .

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hula hoop
Unregistered User
Oct 22, 19:53
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to another parent i dont want to get into an argument but local authority (council) nurseries have a 1 to 8 ration for their pre-school children the same as private, if you feel that these ratios are not being met at a setting near you, you should contact the care commission.

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another parent
Unregistered User
Oct 22, 20:59
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hula hoop, thanks for that info, I'll let my friend know that as her child was involved in an incident at a nursery and nobody had seen it happen as they were "short staffed" that day. They've only ever seen a few staff, nowhere near the 10 it looks like it should be!

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jazzyJ
Unregistered User
Oct 22, 22:24
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I am also a Mum to a child who attends the nursery and I would like to state that this nursery has exceptional levels of hygiene, in all areas.

The source of infection was brought into the nursery by another child who had been ill, the parents did not wait 48 hours after the symptoms ceased and brought the child back into nursery whilst the child was still infectious. As anyone with children know, children do like to play together, share toys, hold hands etc.. why is where the infection spread to others.

All this talk about 'name and shame' the nursery is pathetic as in no way is the nursery at fault.

The manager has been very open with every single parent who were all contacted straight away regarding the situation (which the nursery were not obliged to do).

This nursery demonstrates excellent food safety, hygiene and health and safety skills in all areas.

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A Happy Parent
Unregistered User
Oct 22, 22:29
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I also would like to offer my support to the nursery Involved. I have had 1 child go to the nursery since it opened and did not hesitate in contacting them when it was time for my second child to go to nursery. I belive that the nursey has truly done everything that they could to avoid the infection, which was brought into the nursery, from being spread and have not and do not plan to keep my child off nursery due to this. I think that the information that was given in the press is very vague as, quite rightly so, it does not name the nursery as they are not at fault. If they were at fault then the nursery would have been shut down straight away. What we have to remember is if the salmonella poisoning had been caused by something that the kids had eated everyone who was in that day would have come down with it. The majority of the children all eat the same food. My Understanding is that enviromental health have been in and given the nursery the all clear. Clearly there is no need for anyone to worry about the nursery or for it to be named and shamed. You are right the name of the nursey will more than likley come out but I belive that it will only in commenting on how professionaly and efficently they dealt with it.

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Rocketman
Unregistered User
Oct 22, 23:41
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Nursery owner; please stop posting comments saying how great your nursery is by pretending to be a 'happy parent' (or jazzy j!) It's obvious you're mascarading on here trying to deflect negative press and the tone of your comments gives you away, for example. 'this nursery demonstrates excellent food safety.....'. Just come clean about who you really are!

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MrsR
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Oct 23, 06:41
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I too send my child to the nursery in question, and totally support the nursery, the owner called me personally to explain the situation and to be honest she was really upset about it. I am currently pregnant again and have actually had to be sick in their toilets and they were spotless. I dont doubt the cleanliness of the the nursery at all.

And to be honest dont think anything will be solved with naming and shaming as I feel that the nursery would be persecuted for something that I really dont think was their fault.

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another parent
Unregistered User
Oct 23, 09:34
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rocketman, instead of accusing the parent's who have children at this nursery of the following, "It's obvious you're mascarading on here trying to deflect negative press"(sic - note it should be masquerading), why don't you ask the Dunfermline Press to check the ISP and email addresses of all of us who have commented, I think you'll find that we are all telling the truth and we are parents of children who attend this nursery.

Why should the nursery be blamed just because a parent sent their child who was infectious and said nothing and their child then passed the infection on to others?

This was not the nursery's fault and naming them will not gain anything.

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jazzyJ
Unregistered User
Oct 23, 13:22
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F.A.O. Rocketman:

I am not the nursery owner, as I previously said in my earlier post that I am a parent of a child who attends the nursery.

I explained in my post that 'the nursery demonstrates excellent food safety skills' and 'hygiene, health and safety skills' as I have many years background within these fields myself and am therefore able to observe and comment that I have no doubts about this nursery with regards to these areas.

Its a fantastic nursery in which all staff members work extemely hard and strive to ensure they maintain clean enviroment for the children.

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StumbleUpon
Unregistered User
Oct 23, 13:34
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Jesus, time out already!

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press reader
Unregistered User
Oct 23, 13:55
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TO another parent you have sliped up big time on here .YOU state to hulahoop that you will let your freind know as there child got hurt at nursery and no one seen it as they were short staffed that day .They ve only ever seen a few staff not the 1 to 8 kids hulahoop states that should be in private and council run nurserys .I thought this nursery was top of the tree seems they are not after all .

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hula hoop
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Oct 23, 15:25
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to press reader the nursery another parent was talking about is not the same nursery as the one which has had the outbreak it was a different nursery if you read all the previous posts you will see that

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another parent
Unregistered User
Oct 23, 16:50
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press reader, have I slipped up, no I don't think I have actually!

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned a council run nursery where 80 children attend each session. If you care to actually read what was written, you would have seen this quite clearly. The incident to my friends child occurred in this council run nursery and due to the high number of children that attend, no one witnessed it and left a young child unattended who was lucky not to have suffered a more serious injury.

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jojo
Unregistered User
Oct 23, 18:23
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Bloody hell. have you lot not got children to sanitise? It does come across as multiple named posters on here, so why bother with them. You don't have to justify yourselves to anyone on here, save it for the officials, if they become involved. Mr locked capitals is goading you and you are rising to the bait, why, when he is clearly a half educated antagonist.

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Sympathise
Unregistered User
Oct 23, 18:25
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Hi

I also have a child who attends the nursery full time and has eaten all the food provided and has not been ill. The only day that my child was off was the day this child attended nursery very strange that the children that were at nursery on the day fell ill and my child didn't I think this all looks like it came from the child and a bug brought in, I hope the parents understand what they have put other families through in the last few weeks and also should wait to see the EHO reports before making and gossiping around Fife that it was the nursery's fault!!! My symapthy goes out to the nursery staff and owners as I know this has been an extremely stressful time for them all. Thanks to all who work there and thank you for being so proffessional in the way you have dealt with this. My child will continue to go there. Don't worry about some of the posts this is people who don't know what they are talking about and have just jumped in without knowing the truth at least we do and we will continue to support the nursery.

At least the nursery have everything in writing that tells them the bug did not come from there and that's all that matters.

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mambo
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Oct 23, 22:55
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for goodness sake listen to the majority of you. kids will pick things up and spread germs around. Take it none of you who are complaining about this childs parents parenting skills have never been contacted to collect your child from school or nursery due to them being ill? I agree samonella is a bad bug but is it really necessary for you all to be commenting. Ever heard the saying people in glass houses shouldnt throw stones? What goes around comes around? Lets just hope none of your children ever pass on a bug to another. And just wait and see how many of you actually wait for the incubation period of bugs to leave the body properly before sending your children back into that environment especially when your children go to school. More to the point how would you feel if your child did pass something like this on to others, would you want it broadcast all over the press? Doubt it. Grow up!

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just visiting
Unregistered User
Oct 24, 21:16
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OMG! I have nothing to do with the nursery in question but know of the outbreak due to my work. I do have a child aged 18 months though and I am horrified at some of the comments posted on this site. It has turned into a massive slandering match but yet hardly anybody seems to have mentioned the poor kids who suffered because of this. Maybe people are needing to stop arguing and actually think of these kids instead. Personally I think the nursery handled it well and unfortunately these things do happen. Kids pick up bugs all the time and it's actually better for them to pick most of them up when they're young. Fair enough salmonella isn't one that you'd prefer them to pick up but they could just have easily picked it up in a restaurant or a friends birthday party. I just feel so horrifed at how nasty some people have sounded on this.

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justvisiting
Unregistered User
Oct 24, 21:16
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OMG! I have nothing to do with the nursery in question but know of the outbreak due to my work. I do have a child aged 18 months though and I am horrified at some of the comments posted on this site. It has turned into a massive slandering match but yet hardly anybody seems to have mentioned the poor kids who suffered because of this. Maybe people are needing to stop arguing and actually think of these kids instead. Personally I think the nursery handled it well and unfortunately these things do happen. Kids pick up bugs all the time and it's actually better for them to pick most of them up when they're young. Fair enough salmonella isn't one that you'd prefer them to pick up but they could just have easily picked it up in a restaurant or a friends birthday party. I just feel so horrifed at how nasty some people have sounded on this.

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parent
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Oct 29, 00:27
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My child was also one of the ones infected. I too agree that the nursery handled it well. I don't see the point in certain comments made here...we've had enough to cope with this month without the ignorance of certain people who feel they can comment on here without knowing all the facts. Has anyone realised that sometimes the carrier of the bug can be asymptomatic?

Maybe an idea to learn a bit about salmonella before making silly,pointless comments and trying to cause trouble for the nursery who was as much a victim as the 4 children.

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