MCH Program/Policy Project - Assignment Example

MCH Program/ Policy Project MCH Problem ment During 1987–1997, an average of 28,000 cases of hepatitis A occurred per year in the United States, the most affected are preschool-aged children, and it interferes with social development and the education process.Additional Contextual InformationHepatitis A is a rare communicable disease that affects the liver; the virus is always asymptomatic (Luyten, 2009). Children who are enrolled in a preschool facility are predisposed to acquiring the virus as their handlers interact with a lot of children from different families.

The level of hygiene in every family differs; this may pose a risk to the daycare staff. It is also difficult to recognize Hepatitis A cases that occur in a day care center until a family member of one child in the center develops Hepatitis A symptoms. Its symptoms may include aches, fevers, lack of appetite, abdominal discomfort, as well as vomiting (Fischer, Miller, Winter& Elson, 2009: Report on Viral Hepatitis, 2007).Children infected with the virus most of the time experience abdominal discomfort and a reduced appetite.

The outbreaks of this communicable disease in daycare centers are linked to improper food handling by infected staff or through infection by the sick children who are also enrolled in the daycare centers. According to (Taylor & Regan, 2007) Hepatitis A is mostly spread in day care centers, schools and other set-ups where diapered children attend. The period that it is mainly transmitted is 1-2 weeks prior to symptoms onset, and it can then be controlled after symptoms onset. The Incubation Period takes about15-50 days; typically 25-30 days (Vento, 1998).

Program OR three Policy Options that Would Address the Problem StatementOption I: The public health departments should require mandatory screening of the children that are enrolled in daycare centers and also to the staff that works in such facilities. Facilities that cannot adhere to this rule should stop their operations.Option II: Hand washing campaign. A public education campaign should be started to advocate for the regular washing of hands especially among those predisposed to diseases such as hepatitis A.

The staff in the daycare centers and the children in those facilities should practice this as they are in a position to contract and spread the disease. The people who care for diapered children are mostly at high risk for acquiring the illness and as well transmit to children. Therefore, they need to exercise extra caution by practicing best hand washing techniques (Wilson, 2001).Option III: Proposing quarantine of those affected by the disease until the fever is gone and at least a week after treatment of illness.

The ill person should be under the care of a physician; this would help to prevent the spread of hepatitis A.Proposed Intervention, which will stem from one of the ProgramThe screening of staff and children who are enrolled in a daycare center may prove to be a very efficient method of disease prevention. This screening is a prevention measure that will see that this disease is not spread in daycare centers as this can be fatal. The amount of children in these centers is quite high; hepatitis A is very contagious and may be fatal to the children.

Stakeholders who may Oppose the Proposed Intervention, and the ReasonsThe daycare management would be adamant to adopt the proposed intervention due to several reasons. One is that they will consider it to be too costly for them to employ the necessary technology and staff required in handling the screening process. The daycare management may claim to use other methods of educating the children and staff concerning better hygiene measures that include frequent hand washing as an important way of controlling hepatitis A.

Health organizations may oppose the idea as it leaves medical processes to be done in places that are not medically trusted. The day care centers can also doctor the results if all the responsibility is left to them. Another valid issue is that it is very hard to monitor the screening process due to the high number of daycare centers in the country.Stakeholders who would Support the Proposed Intervention, and the Reasons;Among the stakeholders who would support the program, include the parents of the children.

The parents would prefer the screening of the disease in the daycare center as it saves them a great deal of money and worrying about their kids safety. This option is very convenient for parents as they can take infected children to hospital if the virus is detected early on in their children.RecommendationsThe first option is good as it helps prevent the outbreak issue before a lot of people in the center are infected. It also ensures that the children in daycare centers receive the best care to avoid health problems.

The ability of the centers to handle such an enormous responsibility, however, is very questionable. Most centers are quite small having even less than ten children in a day. This can be an expensive process for such businesses.The daycares may require their children and staff to visit hospitals to get screened from there occasionally; this solves most of the risks and problems associated with screening in day cares. For full prevention of the disease, however, the three policies are to be used together for an aversion of the hepatitis crisis.

The hand washing campaign can be a very effective way of controlling the disease among kids. Quarantine of infected persons is also imperative for disease control. Furthermore, the changing station should be used as a perfect place of taking care of particular essential baby activities, for instance, from temperature taking, clipping of nail to providing dose of medicine (Fiore & Wesley, 2006).ReferencesFiore, A. E., & Wesley, A. (2006). Prevention of Hepatitis A: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.55(7), 1-23.

Fischer, G. E., Miller, C. S., Winter, K. E., & Elson, F. (2009). Hepatitis A and their Contacts: Infectious diseases. 47(8), 4-12.Luyten, J. B. (2009). Costing Infectious Disease Outcome: A Review of Hepatitis. A Journal of pharmaeconomics, 27(4), 79-89.Taylor, R., & Regan, C. (2007). Exploration of Active Vaccination in the Control of a School Outbreak of Hepatitis A. 12(3), 5-6.Update, (2007). Prevention of Hepatitis A after exposure to hepatitis A virus and in international travelers. Updated Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, 56(41), 1080-4.Vento S.et.al (1998). Fulminant Hepatitis Associated with Hepatitis A Virus Super infection in Patients withChronic Hepatitis C.

New England Journal of Medicine, 338(5), 286-290. Report on Viral Hepatitis (2007). An Epidemic in the Making? New Approaches to the Prevention,Diagnosis, and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis. American Digestive Health Foundation. http://www.gastro.org/adhf/viral-hep.html#VirologyA.Accessed, 3 March 2015.Wilson, M. E. (2001). A Probable Acquisition from an Asymptomatic Adopted Child. 30(5), 9-10.