Preventing kids colds and flu
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Officials say the Hamilton region has seen one hundred and 39 cases of enterovirus D-68 in the past five weeks, so this year, cold and flu season is very different from the rest.
And the classroom is one of the easiest places to catch and spread germs.
Enterovirus spreads a lot like the cold and flu. You can catch it if you come in close contact with someone who has it by touching, kissing or being sneezed on. And you can also prevent it the same way. For example, frequent hand washing. This time of year, it’s especially important to remind kids how to avoid all types of infection.
Kids have plenty of sage advice about what to do when one of their friends is sick.
“Bring them to the garbage can in case they have to barf.”
Jokes aside, they are surprisingly savvy about how to prevent the spread of colds and flu
“Can you guys show me how you should cough or sneeze?”
Both kids and adults should cough into an elbow so germs don’t spread hand to hand.
Frequent hand washing with soap is another must, especially in classrooms where lots of little fingers are touching the same toys and tools.
Domenica de Luca, grade 3 teacher: “The kids lose a lot of school if they don’t have the proper hygiene, or if they’re not coughing into their sleeves because the germs do go rampant.”
Colds are harder to prevent, but the flu is easy to avoid.
Dr. Jeff Pernica, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, McMaster Children’s Hospital: “All kids should be getting the flu shot.”
If your child is afraid of needles, you can get a nasal spray vaccine from the pharmacy. But unlike the injection, it costs money.
There’s no vaccine for the common cold. But to avoid sharing cold or flu germs, parents have to use their judgement.
Dr. Jeff Pernica: “Children should stay home when they have fevers, or if they are having significant trouble breathing or feel very unwell.”
It’s not always realistic to keep your child home from school with mild symptoms. What you can do is teach them how to keep their germs to themselves.
“Don’t hang around lots of people or else they will catch the cold.”
The flu shot is the best way to prevent the influenza virus. But the common cold and enterovirus don’t have a vaccine. So it’s important to be very careful about sharing food, utensils and hugs. If there’s an upside to this flu season, it may be that enterovirus has gotten people talking about prevention, so hopefully everyone will be on their best hand washing behaviour this year.
