animal bite and rabies

Your child is required to stay home if you are not 100% sure if the animal has rabies or not.

Your child is not required to stay home if you are 100% sure the animal doesn't have rabies or if the skin was not broken.

Animal Bite

If your child has been bitten by an animal and the wound is open (bleeding) I require a doctor's note stating your child doesn't have rabies at that time and what signs to watch out.

If the child is bitten by your family pet and your pet has all its shots up to date, no note is required.

Exclusion: Not required if your child doesn't have rabies. Any open wounds must be covered with a bandage.

Rabies

Cause/Symptoms: 

• There is a risk of rabies from the bites of bats, cats, dogs, ferrets, groundhogs, muskrats, racoons, skunks and other wild mammals
• Bites of gerbils, hamsters, mice, moles, rabbits and squirrels do not have to be reported unless the animal’s behaviour was very abnormal                                                                                                                                                                                        

Transmission

• Animal saliva introduced by bite or scratch

Incubation: 

• Rabies: Usually 3-8 weeks; rarely as short as 9 days or as long as 7 years

Period of Communicability: 

• Rabies: Rabid animals are infectious from the time the virus reaches the salivary glands and up until death. Death usually occurs within 1 week of onset of clinical signs

We can discuss your child's return to daycare once all the following criteria has been met:

• 72 hours after completion of treatment.

The length of time your child is required to remain home will be determined on a case by case basis.