STAYING HEALTHY AT SCHOOL:

The ABC’s of How Infections Spread

Presented By Dr. Robert K. Dowse

Does it seem as if your child is sick all the time?  In the early school years, your child’s immune system is put to the test.  After all, young children in large groups are breeding grounds for the organisms that cause illness. 

Many childhood illnesses are caused by viruses.  All it takes is a single child to bring a virus to school for the spread to begin.  Infections however are a normal part of childhood.  Most children will have at least 6-8 upper respiratory tract infections each year.  These include colds, ear infections, sinus infections, bronchitis and pneumonia.  Infections of the bowels are also common.

When children gather together in child care settings and school, there is the opportunity for infections to spread from one child to another even more!  Now, while not all infections are contagious (i.e., ear and bladder infections), diarrhea and colds are easily spread.

Consider this common scenario- a child who has a cold coughs or sneezes in the classroom.  The children sitting nearby inhales the infected respiratory droplets and the cold spreads.  Or, perhaps a child who has diarrhea uses the toilet and returns to the classroom without washing his or her hands.  Illness-causing germs might spread from anything the sick child touches to other children who touch the same object and then put their fingers in their mouths.

The incubation period is the time it takes after a child is infected until he becomes ill.  Sometimes the incubation is short (i.e., a day or so for the flu and strep throat), while other times it is quite long (i.e., 1-2 weeks for chicken pox).  In some cases the child is contagious during the incubation period, while in others the child is not contagious until the illness begins.

 Why hand washing counts

Frequent hand washing is the simplest – and most effective – way to prevent illness, both at home and at school.  Remind your child to wash his or her hands (regular soap and water) before eating and after using the toilet, blowing his or her nose, coughing, sneezing or playing outside.  Suggest soaping up for as long as it takes to sing the ABCs, the “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” song, or the “Happy Birthday” song twice (all about 20 seconds!).

 Other school health tips

 1). Use hand sanitizer.  Give your child alcohol-based hand sanitizer to keep in his or her desk or purse.

2). Keep your hands away from your eyes and out of your mouth.

3). Don’t share water bottles, food or other personal items.

4). Avoid anyone who’s sick.

5). It’s important for your child to eat a healthy diet, thus assuring getting their essential    vitamins.

6). Get plenty of sleep.

7). Stay current on his or her immunizations – including the yearly flu vaccine.

Lastly, knowing when to exclude your child from school because of an illness is sometimes difficult.  Most children will not need to be excluded for mild respiratory tract illnesses, but if they are having a fever (usually over 101.0), are coughing to the point that it will disturb others in the classroom, or are having vomiting and diarrhea, they are then considered infectious and should remain at home until those symptoms improve.

As always, if left in doubt, call your health care provider for advice.

Robert K. Dowse, M.D., FAAP is the owner and one of the board certified pediatricians at Premier Pediatrics. Dr. Dowse has a total of 17 years experience in pediatrics.

Currently, Dr. Dowse is the Director of Valley View Medical Center for the Level II Nursery, a physician representative of Iron County School District and a physician representative for Iron County Head Start Program. He is also a member of the Utah Medical Association and a fellow of American Academy of Pediatrics.

Premier Pediatrics is located at 1251 N. Northfield Rd. #301 in Cedar City, Utah. They can be contacted at 865-7227 or www.premierpediatrics.net.