Hepatitis questions?

I am a home day care provider and I have a toddler that started last month. My brother- in -law is friends with the toddlers father (his parents are divorced). He told me that the boys mother has hepatitis. What should I do? Should I ask the mother if she has hepatitis and if so how. Is it possible for the toddler to have it? Do I keep him in my daycare? Is there a vaccine my family can get to prevent us from getting it?
I would appreciate suggestions on how to ask the mother if she has hepatitis.

Thank you DuneFL it is good to know that my three boys won't get it and that the other daycare kids won't get it because they have been vaccinated.
I will make sure my husband and I get our vaccinations.
I forgot to mention that my brother in law said that she is violent and she keyed her ex mother in laws car. I used to work at a daycare with the ex mother in law so I know that part is true. That is why I am nervous about asking his mother directly.

the toddler has been vaccinated by hepb already. however, if the child was born hepb positive, theres a chance the toddler could still be infected.

i have a hunch it is hcv instead....hcv is blood borne only. chances of the little boy infected with hcv is about .03%-.06%.

since hcv is blood borne only, you've only got to worry about keeping sharps out of reach to prevent blood exposure-the other children would somehow have to get this blood into their bloodstream, so it's rather difficult to spread the hcv virus.

sharps are scissors, razors, knives, toothbrushes....basically anything you can get cut on.

i would worry more about the hepatitis b than that of the c since hepatitis b can be spread through all bodily fluids-not just blood like that of hcv.

good luck
p.s. the mention of the "anger" issue is common amongst those with liver disease...virons as well as toxins from the livers inability to filter properly due to liver damage do pass the blood brain barrier. it's not an easy disease.

be understanding, tell her you wish to know more about her type of hepatitis. be supportive.....

good luck!

Yes, there is a vaccine, and all health care providers should be inoculated. The health dept will help you with this. Hepatitis is manageable, but it can be deadly, especially -c, it will destroy your liver, and ultimately kill you. I think it would be beneficial for you to check into your situation!

at least she is aware she has hepititis. its the people walking around with HIV hepititis etc who arn1t diagnosed are the ones to be wary of!!!
Thats if she has it at all

The child could have it, or he could not. All of the children in your care should be vaccinated as they vaccinate ALL kids now for Hep. B before they even leave the hospital..then at 1 mo. and 3 mo......7th graders all had to get the shots too.....very few kids would be walking around unvaccinated now. As a childcare provider, you should DEFINITELY get the Hep. B series (it's 3 shots). Be very, very careful changing diapers...you need to be wearing gloves....wiping surfaces w/ a cleaner as Hep. B lives on surfaces a long time. They are just now starting to vaccinate for Hep. A. There is no vaccination for Hep. C. My friend is a special ed. teacher (so am I) She just ended a year of rough treatments because she caught Hep. in the classroom (diapers). Your best bet is to get the shots...it's highly contagious and very common...truly, you could catch it in a public restroom....and use gloves for diaper changes....treat ALL kids like they could have a disease. It's safer in the long run.

It really depends on which version of Hepatitis that she has. My mother became ill with it when she was a young child, and she did not pass it on to my sister or I. She simply cannot give blood.

Hepatitis B is the only one you can be innoculated against. Hepatits A is only transferrable to people who have ingested human waste, like the Taco Bell scare with the lettuce and bell peppers from Mexico. It also goes away on it's own most often.
Below is a very helpful link that should answer all of your questions.

Well most likely it is hepatitis C. The child could have it if he came in contact with his mothers blood during delivery or any time after that. Hepatitis C is BLOOD transmitted.Food, water, breast-feeding, sneezing, coughing, hugging, casual contact, or sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses have not been shown to spread hepatitis C. So it is not transmissible by kissing, unless an open wound is involved. If blood gets on a surface clean using 1:10 dilution of one part household bleach to 10 parts of water for disinfecting the area. Hepatitis B The highest concentrations of hepatitis B virus are found in the blood, and saliva. There are only low concentrations of hepatitis B virus in the urine and none in the feces. Therefore, hepatitis B is not spread through food or water or by casual contact. There is a vaccine for hepatitis B.