Question

The school nurse assesses four school-age clients. Which client's parents will be contacted to pick up the child from school?

A) Child with a red rash on the cheeks that makes the face look like it has been slapped.
B) Child with a fever reporting headache, malaise, anorexia, and an earache when chewing.
C) Child with allergies whose conjunctiva are inflamed with swollen eyelids and watery drainage.
D) Child with clusters of small, erythematous, intensely pruritic papules in the antecubital space.

Answer 1

The child with the red "slapped cheek" rash (Option A) exhibits a symptom of Fifth disease and should be sent home due to the contagious nature of the illness.

Step-by-step explanation:

The school nurse should contact the parents of the child with a red rash on the cheeks that resembles a "slapped face" (Option A). This is a symptom of Fifth disease, which is caused by parvovirus B19. It's a contagious illness more commonly seen in children. The child should go home to prevent spreading the infection to other students.

While the child with allergies (Option C) may have discomfort due to inflamed conjunctiva and swollen eyelids, this condition is not as contagious as Fifth disease. The child with pruritic papules in the antecubital space (Option D) could have a non-contagious skin condition such as eczema or contact dermatitis as described in the case of Penny, or even a fungal infection like ringworm, but those aren't typically reasons for immediate exclusion from school.

The child reporting a fever with headache and other symptoms (Option B) may also need to be evaluated further for possible infectious diseases, but the most immediately recognizable contagious condition described here is the "slapped cheek" rash associated with Fifth disease.