A role for the infection control specialist in child day care?

Infection control services for child care are currently provided through the cooperative efforts of physicians, nurses, and other providers in the private health care sector; public health agencies; and academic-based infectious disease experts. However, the effectiveness of infection control practices is not uniform and varies considerably by locality. One approach to ameliorating these differences may be through the development of an "infection control specialist for child day care". Possible responsibilities for and uses of the infection control specialist in child day care include disease surveillance, outbreak control activities, implementation of primary prevention measures, and facilitation of communication among parents and day care and health providers. There are potential impediments to the development of this role, such as conflicts of interest and difficulties in obtaining adequate funding.