Conjunctivitis (Pink-eye)

Incubation period for bacterial:

1-3 days

Signs and symptoms:

Red, watery, itching, burning eyes; swollen eyelids. A discharge may cause eyelids to crust over and stick together during the night. 

How it is spread:

Contact with discharge from the eye or respiratory tract of an infected person.

Contagious period:

During the course of active infection. May be highly infectious depending on cause.

Exclusion guidelines:

Infected people should be presumed contagious until eye discharge has resolved. Parents should minimize exposure by keeping their child home during this time if the child’s behaviour or environment is such that close contact with others cannot be avoided. If an antibiotic is prescribed by a health care provider, the child can return 24 hours after start of treatment. 

What can be done:

Clean and disinfect soiled articles and surfaces. 

Thorough and frequent hand washing by staff and children.