Thanks for Your Responses! - Barnum,MN

To me, working as a nanny is like working as a stand-in-parent. The parent has chosen this, and YOU have chosen this. As parents, we don't get to take off from our children when they are sick, and expect that we, as parents, will get sick to. I can see keeping a child home from a daycare center where other children will be exposed, but you can't keep a child away from their own home.

That being said, you have a right not to be around a sick child...sort of. You've chosen this as your job...a nanny. You and the family obviously need to revise your contract to address this, however you choose to do so...and that would be between them and you. It seems as though the mother expects you to care for her child, whether her child is sick or not. However, if YOU have an illness that the child hasn't already been exposed to, perhaps she would want you to stay home. Talk to the family!

S., please, next time leave the original question. By erasing it and adding fifth disease we're left with not knowing what was fifth disease. Part of the purpose of this site is to help all of us learn. Thanks

What does your contract spell out?

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect to take care of a mildly ill child from a full-time professional nanny. That is exactly part of the reason why many families choose much more expensive nanny care - because they want the individual care and not be subject to taking off work for every sniffle and cough. In a childcare center setting the illness policy is mostly there to protect the other children in the center.
As a nanny you can and should take precautions when your charge gets sick, that will protect you from getting sick as well. That includes basic hygiene, wearing gloves when changing diapers, disinfecting surfaces, washing hands and using hand sanitizer frequently.
It would be good to implement hygienic measure in your care at all time, not only when the baby is visually ill. Most illnesses are contagious long before symptoms appear, so the virus this baby has - you were exposed to it long before the baby started feeling unwell.

You can always decide that YOU would prefer to have a clause in your contract like a childcare center has regarding the child's illness - if you feel uncomfortable caring for a sick child. However I would not be surprised if your employer will look for someone who is ok with taking care of their child even when they are sick.
Good luck.