Should substitute teachers or any one who may have to deal with the child be made aware that the child has tested positive for HIV? Should only the parents with children in same class be informed or should there be no mention of this to them?
2006-09-24 07:01:52 · 15 answers · asked by burnout59 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
I don't think they should be informed unless thier child is in danger of being subjected to the virus itself. One, because it would embarrass the child and their family. Two, It might scare the other children if there parents knew about the HIV+ child and were afraid of the child. The poor kid would be scarred for life, let him/her have a happy normal childhood because when it is older it will have the burden of knowing it is sick.
2006-09-24 07:05:55 · answer #1 · answered by white oleander 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. A case may be made for staff of a school to know a child's HIV status but the stigma around HIV argues against parents having this confidential information about another child. In school, it's the center's responsibility for 1. monitoring the children 2. Universal or Standard Precautions which is in place to prevent the transmission of all disease.
Transmitting and acquiring HIV requires some "right situations". a. Sexual contact, the risk is greater when not using a barrier ie condoms. b. blood to blood contact ie using injection drug equipment after some one who is HIV positive-the HIV is being injected into the blood stream. c. Pregnancy, Delivery and Breast feeding-the possibility of HIV crossing the placental barrier, a baby going through the birth canal during delivery-blood contact to an open wound, the baby feeding breast milk contaminated with HIV.
2006-09-24 16:10:55 · answer #2 · answered by gottaplaygirl 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How would you like it to be handled if your child was the one born with HIV? How would you answer your child's questions about why they are avoided, and shunned. Or, perhaps all the children with HIV should be sequested into HIV schools. Talk about giving a child "short bus" syndrom!!
And why should we stop there. I am sure there are loads of other catagories we can separate as undesirable.
I can understand your concern. I am a parent too. The teachers should definitely know that the child is HIV positive as there is a chance that they will need to deal with a scraped knee. You cannot transmit HIV by standard contact. We teach our children to cover their mouth when they cough, and we will teach them to not touch other peoples blood. That it is something only a "grown up" should do. But we cannot make a parriah out of people who have an illness that they have no control over simply because we fear it. Have more fear when you child is 13 years of age on up, and they are experimenting with sex. There is a much higher probability they will contract AIDS that way than by casual contact with another student at school.
In the old days... not that long ago, lepers where sent to colonys. People with epilepsy were not given drivers licenses and were passed over for jobs.
Some of the darkest periods in our history were on account of our fears. I could just see all of the parents who found out that one of the children in their child's daycare class has HIV, and the resulting uproar. If you were the parent and were told that you cannot work because no one will provide child care to your child due to it's illness, how would you survive?
I sympathize with the paradox you find yourself in. It is our nature to protect our young. But at what cost?
2006-09-24 14:27:44 · answer #3 · answered by diane_b_33594 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely not! It's an invasion of the child's privacy. EVERYONE in the school should be taught simple things like not touching blood. HIV can only be transmitted through sex, exchanging body fluids, or shared needles. I highly doubt kids in Pre-K are doing any of these things, yet.
By making public a child's HIV status will cause them to be shunned. Not by the children's choice, but the other parents. This child is going to have enough trouble later on in life. It the mother still alive?
My prayers are with both of them!
2006-09-24 14:45:45 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I most definitely feel that parents should be told that there is a child in the class with HIV..They don't have to give the name of that child because of privacy laws, but the parents need to talk to their kids to make sure they don't go near any child that is bleeding and to make sure they don't share drinking cups either, as it possibly could be spread via saliva...
2006-09-24 16:28:40 · answer #5 · answered by mystery_lvr 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes ...... Children share toys..... wipe rags.... runny noses... they would not be aware of what precations to take to make sure they dont aquire the HIV. Even adults want to know when someone has HIV when they work with them. .... I truly feel for people who have aquired this desease. I also feel that because of its ability to infect others so easily that there is a limit to thier privacy... So many people want to stand there and cry over these peoples rights. That isolation of or making public who is HIV is violating thier civil rights... What about the right to know of those whos child might become infected at school.... What about that childs right.. What is most important to you? Caring that someone who has HIV and not having thier rights violated, or Your child, who is healthy and you love dearly. Would you sacrifice your child for someones right to privacy? I would hope not.
2006-09-24 14:23:53 · answer #6 · answered by DH 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm a pre k teacher and I'm not told if a child is HIV positive. We are supposed to use universal precautions with everyone, assuming that everyone and anyone may have a contagious or yet undiagnosed disease. I would prefer to be alerted; however that doesn't happen.
2006-09-25 17:17:02 · answer #7 · answered by cindy1323 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely!
Children do not know any better than to share lollipops, candy, kleenex and all sorts of things. They see no danger. Parents have to see danger for them!
NOT KNOWING is the main reason HIV and other spreadable diseases have not been stopped. Privacy acts and all the other mumba jumba is part of what is wrong with the world today...People had rather protect their rights than to "live and let live!"
2006-09-25 16:14:40 · answer #8 · answered by Weetie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Medical status is private information.
Best practice is to teach your child how to avoid infection. Like Health care Workers...assume everyone has HIV and act accordingly.
2006-09-24 14:09:30 · answer #9 · answered by kar_summers 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No - med info is private.
Kids and adults should use universal precautions. Btw, it's actually not easy to transmit HIV - easier to catch hepatitis.
2006-09-24 14:15:49 · answer #10 · answered by Z 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋