Prevent the spread of infections by ensuring: routine immunisation, high standards of personal hygiene and practice, particularly hand-washing, and maintaining a clean environment. However, the Health Protection Agency recommend exclusion in some conditions. The table below is up to date as of December 2025 but ideally check the HPA website directly.

Infection	Exclusion/Isolation Guidance	Notifiable*	Additional advice
Athlete’s foot	None needed		Treatment recommended. Avoid being barefoot.
Chickenpox	At least 5 days from onset of rash and until all blisters have crusted over.		Pregnant contacts should consult GP/midwife
Cold sores	None needed		Avoid direct contact
Conjunctivitis	None needed		Outbreak=Consult local Health Protection Team (HPT)
Diarrhoea and vomiting	Until symptoms have settled for 48 hours	If Ecoli 157 STEC/Typhoid/Shigella/ Cryptosporidiosis	If notifiable cause consult HPT for further advice
Diptheria	Must be excluded	Yes	Always consult HPT for advice. Exclusion extends to family members
EBV	None needed
Fifth disease (Slapped cheek)	None needed		Pregnant contacts should consult GP/midwife
Flu (influenza) or influenza like illness	Until recovered		Outbreaks should be reported by senior IPC teams
Hand foot and mouth	None needed usually		Contact HPT if a large number of children affected
Head lice	None needed		Treatment indicated only when live lice are seen
Hep A	Exclude until 7 days after onset of symptoms/jaundice		HPT will advise protection measures in outbreaks
Hep B/C/HIV	None needed		Not infectious through casual contact
Impetigo	Until lesions are crusted and healed/48 hours after starting antibiotics		Antibiotic treatment speeds healing and reduces the infectious period.
Infectious Mononucleosis	None needed
Influenza	Until recovered		Report outbreaks to HPT
Measles	4 days from onset of rash	Yes	Pregnant contacts must consult GP/midwife immediately
Meningitis	Until recovered/ Viral=none	Viral=No/Other=Yes	Contact HPT for more advice
Molluscum Contagiosum	None needed
Mpox	Consult UTD guidance on UKHSA website	Yes	Close contacts also need input from HPT
Mumps	5 days from onset of swollen glands	Yes
MRSA	None needed		Good hygiene e,g handwashing, environmental cleaning, help minimise spread
Respiratory infections including COVID-19	Individuals should not attend if they have a high temperature and are unwell. Individuals who have a positive test result for COVID-19 should not attend the setting for 3 days after the day of the test.		Individuals with mild symptoms such as runny nose, and headache who are otherwise well can continue to attend their setting.
Ringworm	Not usually required but must treat
Roseola	None needed
Rubella	5 days from onset of rash	Yes	Pregnant contacts must consult GP/midwife immediately
Scabies	Until 24 hours after first treatment given		Close contacts should be treated at same time
Scarlet fever	24 hours after starting antibiotics	Yes if two or more suspected cases within 3 days	If no antibiotics, exclude until symptoms recover
Septicaemia	Until recovered	Yes	HPT actions will depend on causative agent
Threadworms	None needed		Treat child and close contacts
TB	Until 2 weeks after starting treatment if pulmonary TB	Yes	Only pulmonary TB is infectious and needs prolonged close contact to spread. HPT will contact trace
Warts/verrucae	None needed		Cover in swimming pools and gymnasium
Whooping cough	2 days after starting antibiotics/14 days after symptom onset if no antibiotics	Yes	Non-infectious coughing may continue for weeks

*Registered medical practitioners in England and Wales have a statutory duty to notify their local authority or UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) HPT of suspected cases of certain infectious diseases.

 

Created by Dr Euan Ballantyne