Final answer:
In a pediatric unit, a nurse should implement droplet precautions for Pertussis, a highly contagious respiratory disease. It spreads through the droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Step-by-step explanation:
A nurse in a pediatric unit should implement droplet precautions for Pertussis. Droplet precautions are designed to reduce the risk of droplet transmission of infectious agents. Pertussis, known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It spreads via droplets produced during coughing or sneezing. On the other hand, Varicella-zoster, causing chicken pox, is spread via airborne and contact routes, requiring both airborne and contact precautions. Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus is spread via contact, and rotavirus, causing severe diarrhea in children, is also spread via the fecal-oral route, requiring contact precautions.
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