Babysitter Has Mono

Mono is one of those illnesses that are totally exhausting. One of my friends had it in high school and she was out for 2 weeks. It was 2 months before she was back to full strength.

She won't be up to watching those kids if she's recovering from a serious case. I would find someone else.

I had mono in high school and was out of school for a little over a month, then had to take it easy for quite a while after that. While it is contagious, the only person I passed it to was my boyfriend. No one in my immediate family or friends caught it, even my best friend who I shared food and drinks with pretty frequently before I knew what I had. My understanding is that someone is more likely to catch it if they are already run down for some reason and then are directly exposed. Like hormone-addled teenager boyfriend-girlfriend exposed to each other's saliva :)
I would not count on her being up for watching two kids. I would consider asking for a note from her doctor listing any limitations. I know I was not supposed to lift anything over 10 pounds or run or jump, due to an enlarged spleen.

I honestly do not know much about Mono, I would have a detailed conversation with YOUR doctor and do some research on the illness.

You really need to ask a doctor this question. We are not medically trained and cannot give you an authorative answer. I did google mono and learned that it's a virus and is contagious. Here's the site. http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/infectious-mononucleos...

I've known a couple of young adults who had mono and they wouldn't have been able to keep up with 2 children.

I would not expect your babysitter to be willing to watch your girls. Treatment is lots of rest. How can she get that while working? The women I knew who had mono were college students and they had to drop out of school. They were told that if they kept up their regular schedule the mono was apt to last longer.

Because she feels OK now, I suggest that she's caught the disease early and would be better off resting now so that she can beat it.

As pps have said, I'd be less concerned about her being contagious (They call mono "the kissing disease" because it's transferred through saliva... as long as she doesn't share food/drinks or lick the babies pacifier, you're fine on that front) but mono makes people SO TIRED.

She may not have the energy to watch your kids. If she does, great, but you don't want her falling asleep on the couch while she's the only adult home.

I'd find someone else for the next few weeks. The plus side, then, is that you'll end up with TWO regular babysitters and you won't be beholden to the availability of one person :)

Hope this helps,
T.

What is mono? Is this an American term for something we call something else? Don't worry, I just googled it and saw it is Glandular Fever.

I couldn't imaging that she's up to watching kids while it's active. Definitely a question for your doctor.

Mononucleosis varies so much - some people never know they had it, and others are wiped out, others are in between. My son was in the serious group - spleen so large you could see it protruding through his abdomen, doctor said not to wear a seatbelt because it was so dangerous, and my son's throat was bleeding from being so raw and he couldn't eat. We turned it around through liquid supplementation in 4 days - doctor was blown away. But that doesn't happen for everyone if they don't know about food science.

It's spread, like other viruses, through airborne particles like saliva. Yes, it's called the "kissing disease" in part because it's through close contact and in part because it's common among young adults (teens and college students) who are in close contact and who also don't get a lot of rest sometimes, and have suppressed immune systems. And it certainly lingers for a long time in many people. You don't usually find mono in young kids, that's true.

A lot depends on how serious your sitter's case is. She could wash her hands a lot and even wear one of those masks. The other issue, beyond contagion, is how tired she is? Can she keep up with your kids? Will it endanger them if she understandably falls asleep or needs to nap? Will working and getting worn out, as well as being exposed to whatever germs your kids have, endanger her health or delay her recovery?

I think you need to find a replacement. Colleges are out of session now and there may be kids looking for work, even short term. Try advertising at a local college for undergrads and grad students. You may have to give the job to someone for the summer to keep them, and your regular sitter will just have to get well and deal with not having employment for right now. It's sad, but that's what happens with mono sometimes. Nothing's more important than her recovery.

I missed two months of school my senior year of high school with mono...and had to drop out of school for a semester in college (whoever said you can't get it twice, tell that to my two positive blood tests three years apart).

In high school I couldn't get out of bed for six weeks and in college my throat hurt so bad I was drooling on myself rather than swallowing.

So she may not feel up to babysitting...cause I have heard the older you are when you get it the harder it is on your body. I know I just wanted to curl up and die.

Call your pediatrician and ask them...they should be able to tell you. My son got it in Kindergarten and missed about three weeks of school, came home early for another three weeks, and missed two months of sports.

Why don't you ask your Pediatrician????
See what he/she says. Since you have a BABY who is only 6 months old.
Don't just rely only... on what your Babysitter or her Doctor, is saying.

From what I know, I would advise you to take a deep breath, relax, and find a short-term temporary sitter until she's fully recovered.

Mono IS debilitating, and watching two young children is exhausting. For your sitter's health, she needs to be fully recovered, or she'll relapse.

And, for your kids' health, especially the baby, it's really better not to have these germs flying around. Six-month-olds put their hands into everyone else's mouths, and then into their own mouths -- it's a very touchy-feely age.

So, the safe, ethical course of action would be to find a short term temporary sitter and then have your regular sitter come back when she's completely better. It's a bit of a headache, but people do handle these things.

I would be most concerned with her being able to keep up with the girls, mainly the baby. The 6 year old can be pretty self-sufficient I'm assuming, but not the baby.

I seriously doubt she would pass the disease on, as long as she doesn't share cups, utensils, etc - which shouldn't be happening anyways.

Your best bet is to call the pediatrician and ask. Good luck!

Our babysitter has mono, as long as she is not sharing cups, food, ect. Request that she wash hands before preparing food ect, you should be okay.

Does she feel up to watching your kids. I had it twice. The first time in HS and I was in bed for a few weeks. The second time I was diagnosed was 2 months after I got married and I was able to work PT for about a month. (FYi... My husband didn't catch it although we were newlyweds😉)

I would call your pediatrician and ask me what they think if your baby sitter feels up for working.

she might not even have the energy to watch your kids. I had mono when I was 19 and I was IN BED for 2 months! I worked at a preschool and they had to find a temporary replacement for me until I came back. Mono is very serious and could do a lot of damage, so I would hire a temp sitter until she is better

Hi A.,

Funny you should bring this up -- I just authored a research article on this topic which was published in BioMedCentral Infectious Diseases Journal (took a full year of the most painful peer-review process I have EVER experienced!)

There's nothing to worry about. In the developing world, most kids have had an Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV -- the virus that causes mono) infection before the age of 6 and never even notice it. In fact, major symptoms and severe sequelae (secondary complications) are rare before the age of 10 in general. Most kids under the age of 10 have very few, if any symptoms, and any symptoms they might have are usually minor and aremildly flu-like. The disease doesn't last nearly as long as it does in teens and adults, but kids still gain full, life-long immunity.

In the industrialized world, a large segment (50- 79%) of the population isn't exposed until adolescence or early adulthood, although only a third of those infections actually result in full-blown mono. In fact, EBV infection typically only causes actual acute mononucleosis in this age group. Even though the disease can seem major, considering the fatigue, sore throat, and swollen glands that accompany it, it's really quite a minor illness in the grand scheme of things. Problems can arise however, such as enlarged spleen and/or liver, that can require the infected person avoid contact sports for several weeks for their own safety, but more severe complications are very, very rare. Considering how badly teens and adults are affected by the illness, however, and considering how much school/work time can be lost because of it, you should be happy if your little ones contract the illness now and get it over with. The only way this would happen, however, is if your kids shared saliva with the sitter, such as by sharing a spoon, ice cream cone or drinking glass with her, or through mouth-to-mouth contact, such as kissing (hence the name, "kissing disease").

Your doctor, BTW, is actually wrong about the ability of adults to infect children with EBV. Most infections are actually probably passed this way, as EBV stays infective throughout life, even after symptoms have completely resolved and the infectious person is themselves immune. This is likely the reason why most EBV infections occur in childhood, and only a small percentage occur in adolescence and beyond. If you ever had an EBV infection and shared eating or drinking implements with your child, chances are good that you've already given them the virus, they had a minor illness, and are now immune.

In any case, since your sitter was most contagious for 1 - 2 week before the symptoms showed up, it's really too late to worry about it now. However, if you've never had mono, you may well be at risk, but only if you have shared eating or drinking implements with her. If you think you might have contracted mono, or if you would like to find out if you have already had mono and are immune, you can ask your doctor to test for EBV VCA IgM, EBV VCA IgG, and EBV EBNA-1 IgG antibodies in your blood. If you have never been infected with EBV all three tests will be negative. If you have an active infection and it's early in the infection, EBV VCA IgM will be positive and the two IgG tests will be negative. If you have an active infection and it is later in infection, usually EBV VCA IgM and IgG will both be positive, but occasionally only VCA IgG will be positive. If you have had a past infection, both VCA IgG and EBNA-1 IgG will be positive and VCA IgM will be negative. On rare occasions, the test will give other patterns, such as EBNA-1 IgG positive without VCA IgG being positive, or all three tests will be positive together. When that happens, the test should be repeated. However, keep in mind that 97% of the population, worldwide, has been infected by EBV by the age of 35. There's a odds are well in your favor that you already have immunity.

The old monospot test is reliable only if you have an active infection. If you want to determine if you're immune to EBV or have never had the infection, your doctor will have to order the specific antibody tests (called immunoassay or ELISA). Frankly, I wouldn't worry about it unless you develop symptoms that persist for 3 or more weeks.

Sorry -- this is probably more than you wanted to know, but considering that b***dy paper took almost 3 years of my life, I figure I might as well share the knowledge!

Before you replace a good, trusted babysitter (even if you reduce her hours, if she NEEDS the money she will find another family and she will be unavailable) talk to YOUR Dr.

How long ago was she diagnosed? How sick was she?

I had mono and missed 8 weeks of school. My sister had mono and slept the better part of a Saturday. So, I would see how she feels and acts.

Personally.... If its been more than a couple weeks and she isn't kissing or sharing cups I'd say she's fine..... As long as she FEELS ok.

No. Take off a couple of days and keep them yourself until she is better.