BRITTANY'S ILLNESS: A DAY CARE CENTER MYSTERY

CASE AUTHOR: EDWARD F. ROSSOMANDO

  Monday morning Brittany, a 3 year old, arrives at your Center with her mother at 7:30 AM.  She had been absent for the entire previous week.  Her mother tells Barbara, her teacher, that she "had an upset stomach, she had some vomiting, diarrhea, and a mild fever", so she kept her h ome.  This Sunday she was feeling better, no fever and she had been eating without any cramps or diarrhea since Wednesday, so she decided to bring her to the Center.  Your Center's policy is that all teachers must file a report on a child's illness to the Center's Health Officer.  You are the Center's Health Officer.

As you review Barbara's report you realize this is the third child this month that had to stay home because of an upset stomach, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and low grade fever.  Each child recovered in about a week.  At firs you thought it was some sort of flu but now you're not sure.

You decided to call Brittany's mother and learn more about her symptoms.  Brittany's mother said that Brittany had cramps and vomited once or twice.  She had a low fever, diarrhea and she said, "My head hurts".  On the second day, she took Brittany to her pediatrician.  No specific diagnosis was made, and no antibiotics were prescribed.  The pediatrician did tell Brittany's mother to have Brittany drink lots of fluids so she wouldn't become dehydrated.  After another day or two, Brittany began to improve: she felt better. 

Copyright April, 1997, Edward F. Rossomando

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© 2002 WATERBORNE DISEASE CENTER
Department of Biostructure and Function,  University of Connecticut Health Center
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