Nurse will advise the mother to isolate the child with measles for?

RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2015

Child Health Nursing (Pediatrics)

Easy

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2015

Explanation

The period of communicability for measles is from 4 days before to 4 days after the onset of the rash.
Indian public health guidelines recommend isolating a patient for a week (7 days) from the onset of the rash to safely cover the entire infectious period and prevent further spread.
This cautious approach is taken because measles is a highly infectious disease with potentially severe complications.

Option A: An isolation period of 3 days is too short and does not cover the full 4-day post-rash period of communicability, posing a risk of transmission to others.
Option B: While some protocols use 5 days as a buffer over the 4-day minimum, authoritative texts often recommend a full week for measles to ensure safety. Also, 5 days is the specific isolation period for Mumps after the onset of swelling.
Option D: An isolation period of 9 days is longer than necessary for measles. This duration is sometimes associated with the upper limit of isolation for Mumps.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Isolation period and communicability of measles (Rubeola) to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Strict isolation is a critical public health measure to prevent measles outbreaks, which can be severe in infants, malnourished children, and immunocompromised individuals.
Nurses play a key role in educating families about correct isolation procedures (e.g., airborne precautions), recognizing signs of complications like pneumonia or encephalitis, and stressing the importance of vaccination.
What if? If an unimmunized child is exposed to measles, post-exposure prophylaxis with the MMR vaccine within 72 hours or immunoglobulin (IG) within 6 days can prevent or modify the disease.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the specific disease mentioned in the question, which is 'measles' (Rubeola).
Recall the standard public health guidelines for the isolation period of this disease. This is a factual recall question.
Remember that the period of communicability is the basis for the isolation duration. For measles, this is 4 days before to 4 days after the rash appears.
Evaluate the given options based on this knowledge. A 3-day period is too short. A 5-day period is close but may not be sufficient according to some guidelines.
Recognize that a 7-day isolation is a common, safe recommendation that fully covers the infectious period and is explicitly mentioned in public health literature.
Select the option that aligns with the safest and most widely taught guideline.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Isolation period and communicability of measles (Rubeola).
Stem keywords: isolate, child, measles
Lead-in keywords: advise, for
Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.
Negative lead-in flag: false

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