Question

A nurse in a clinic receives a call from a guardian whose child has varicella. The guardian asks when the child returns to school. Which of the following responses should the nurse make?

A. "The child can return to school after receiving the varicella vaccine."
B. "The child should stay home until all scabs from the rash have fallen off."
C. "The child can return to school 24 hours after starting antiviral treatment."
D. "The child should stay home until all vesicles from the rash have crusted over."

Answer 1

The nurse should advise the guardian that the child with varicella can return to school when all the rash vesicles have crusted over, as they are no longer infectious at that point.

Step-by-step explanation:

The appropriate response from the nurse to the guardian whose child has varicella, also known as chickenpox, is that the child should stay home until all vesicles from the rash have crusted over. Once the vesicles have formed crusts, the child is no longer considered infectious and can safely return to school. This is because individuals with chickenpox are infectious from about 2 days before the rash appears until all the lesions have scabbed over.