Children kept off playground after suspected caterpillar hairs affect 12

Children at Ørbækparken Børnehus daycare centre in Odense will be kept off the playground for the time being after four children and eight employees developed itching and rashes, DR News reports.

The centre was previously closed after several children experienced similar symptoms, which were suspected to have been caused by the toxic oak processionary moth. It reopened last week.

Odense Municipality said no caterpillars or nests were found during an inspection earlier on Tuesday. However, the municipality suspects that children and staff may come into contact with the caterpillars’ hairs while outdoors.

The youngest children will mainly remain indoors. Older children will be taken on trips farther from the local area so they can still spend time outside.

“We are primarily keeping our nursery children indoors, while the kindergarten children can go on trips a little farther away from the local area,” Malene Mortensen, development manager in the municipality’s Children and Young People Administration, told DR News.

The municipality said eight of the centre’s 14 employees and four of its 49 children had experienced itching and rashes since the centre reopened.

Mortensen said the centre had not reopened too soon, pointing to additional cleaning and inspections. She said the municipality had taken all the precautions currently available and still considered it safe for the centre to remain open.

Odense’s Climate and Environment Administration is investigating how to deal with irritating hairs that may be present on the playground and is gathering information about approaches used in other countries.