Child care centers contribute to propagation of pneumonia bacteria

A theoretical model created by the researchers seems to indicate that a child who attends day are has a risk of pneumococcal infection two to three times greater than one who does not. The study authors say that the benefits of group socialization and play should outweigh the increased chance of disease, however.

• Any parent knows how quickly a cold or a cough can spread between children who play together.
• However, child care may also affect an entire community's carriage of potentially dangerous bacteria known as Streptococcus pneumoniae, according to an article in the April 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.
• S. pneumoniae often exists in the nose and throat without causing problems, but if the bacteria grow out of control, they may result in illness ranging from minor conditions such as ear infections to more serious diseases like sinusitis, pneumonia, and meningitis.
• Children are more likely to carry pneumococci than adults, and in a large group child care center, kids can easily spread the bacteria to their playmates through close contact.
• The level of pneumococcal carriage varies widely between communities, and Harvard Medical School researchers hypothesized that one influence might be the extent of child care use.
• Individually, the model predicts the risk of pneumococcal carriage is two to three times higher for a child who attends child care than for a non-attendee.
• The model goes one step further: it predicts that communities with more children in child care for a longer period of time have higher carriage rates of pneumococcus among both child care attendees and non-attendees.
• The researchers don't dissuade parents from using child care, despite the large group centers' apparent role in increasing the risk of infection.
• "I think that child care or any group play situation has real developmental and social benefits," said lead author Susan Huang, MD, MPH, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
• "The vaccine is very effective and prevents infection.
• In addition, wash [children's] hands and encourage their friends to wash their hands."
• This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Infectious Diseases Society Of America.