A preschool at Bukit Batok reportedly had their students screened for Tuberculosis (TB) after it was found that a teacher in that centre had contracted the disease.
The teacher is a Chinese national and called in sick last Thursday morning, although she did not show any symptoms on the days prior to her call.
Ms Ruth Kua, deputy chief operating officer of Global EduHub, which is the preschool, Little Greenhouse’s parent company, said in a statement that the teacher did not update the preschool on her condition after she was diagnosed.
Little Greenhouse is located in Bukit Batok Street 31.
The preschool had found out on Friday that there was a confirmed TB case from their school by the Ministry of Health.
So far, 80 students have been screened while the remaining are set to be screened this Friday. The staff at the preschool were also screened.
The preschool had reportedly phoned and messaged the parents of the students, checking on the students’ health to which majority told them that their kids were alright.
Ms Kua said about 5 children were taken home by their parents after Wednesday’s screening so they could rest.
She added that she had sought advice from the Early Childhood Development Agency on the need to temporarily close the centre, and was told that there was “no need at all”.
More about Tuberculosis
It is possible for a child to contract the disease, and they do so the same way as adults, which is by inhaling TB bacteria which are in the air as a result of being released into the air by someone with active tuberculosis.
Every day, up to 200 children die from tuberculosis.
TB in children is often missed or overlooked due to non-specific symptoms and difficulties in diagnosis. This has made it difficult to assess the actual magnitude of the childhood TB epidemic, which my be higher than currently estimated.
The child’s immune system may not be strong enough to stop the multiplication of the bacteria, and TB disease then develops. Also, The risk of progression to TB disease is greatest when the child is less than four years old.
Most common symptoms of tuberculosis
Symptoms of Tuberculosis in children may vary with age. The following are the most common symptoms of active TB:
In children:
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Fever
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Unintended weight loss
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Poor growth
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Sweating at night
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Cough
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Swollen glands
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Chills
In toddlers:
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A cough that lasts longer than 3 weeks
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Productive cough
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Pain in the chest
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Blood in their sputum
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Weakness and fatigue
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Swollen glands
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Unintended weight loss
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Decrease in appetite
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Fever
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Chills or night sweats
Prevention of tuberculosis
Parents, although it is adults with active TB that normally results in kids contracting the disease, staying away from active TB persons would not be enough. Here are a few measures that you can take:
- Avoid contact with those who have the active disease
- Use medication as a preventive measure in high-risk cases
- Maintain good living standards
If you have any thoughts on this topic, do share them with us.
Source: Today Online