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Following some simple steps can keep children healthyTwo seasons are almost upon us and they go hand in hand: the beginning of school and the onslaught of potential contagious illnesses. Although the close contact students share every day in their class rooms leads to the inevitable sharing of germs, it doesn’t have to mean the sharing of illnesses, too. Not only can things like hand washing, getting adequate sleep and eating healthy help to maintain a child’s well-being throughout the year, but for the greater good, parents should be mindful of when to keep their child at home. As any parent knows, when their child comes home with some kind of illness, that child can almost always relate to their parents that “my friend had this same thing last week.” New Ulm Medical Center pediatrician Shanna Bunce, MD says a little common sense can go a long way. “If a child has any kind of highly contagious disease that makes them really sick, they should be kept home,” Bunce said. This includes things like pneumonia, strep throat, influenza, chicken pox, measles, viral rashes and conjunctivitis (eye infection). “This is especially important for younger children in school and in daycares who are very oral and tend to put everything in their mouth.” The standard rule of thumb, Bunce said, is that a child can return to school 24 hours after starting antibiotics for those illnesses requiring medication. If the child has a fever, they can return once the fever is gone. In general, a little down time for a sick child is important. “When they are sick, you have to let them be sick,” said NUMC Family Medicine Physician Kathy Kobbermann, MD. “Let them stay home from school and extra-curricular activities until they feel well again.” Sometimes, Kobbermann said, that includes making the tough choices like not letting them go to birthday parties or other fun events until they are well. “If they are really run down, it’s important for them to have a chance to rest so they can fight off other germs that may be out there,” Kobbermann said. It can indeed be a vicious cycle of passing around the same virus or contagious disease throughout the classroom and on to the rest of the school, agreed Jefferson Elementary School Nurse Renee Petersen, RN. It’s not uncommon to see one child come to school on Monday with something contagious and by the end of the week several more have picked it up. “Last year we had one classroom that had eight cases of strep throat within a short time period,” Petersen said. “We see a lot of strep and we see a lot of influenza making the rounds through the school.” Petersen concurred with the physicians that adequate nutrition, sleep and hand washing are all important to maintaining a child’s health through the cold and flu season. All three also recommended children receive the flu shot each year. However, another helpful step, Petersen said, is to maintain communication with the school nurse, whichever school your child attends. “If they have a known contagious disease such as strep it’s helpful for them to communicate that with the nurses so that we can keep an eye on what is going around,” Petersen said. “Then when another parent sees signs of illness in their child and asks us about it, we can keep them better informed about what it might be and refer them on to the doctor if necessary.” Children who have asthma, allergies or are prone to sinus infections may need to be kept home a little longer than other children to make sure they are over it, Kobbermann said. One of the most important things you can do to keep your child healthy is to make sure they are getting the appropriate amount of sleep, Bunce said. “Elementary-aged kids should get 10 hours a night, middle school age and above should be getting eight hours of sleep. These are the minimums – not the average,” Bunce said. Pre-schoolers should get 10 to 12 hours a night, but at least a minimum of 10 hours of sleep. Of course, some things just have to run their course and it isn’t reasonable to keep your child home for every cough or cold – but there are some extra precautions kids can take so as not to spread those germs around. “A cold tends to be the most contagious the first two days,” Kobbermann said. “That’s when it’s really important to remind your children of washing their hands, using tissues, and coughing into their arm and not their hand.” |
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New Ulm Medical Center
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