School children are prone to illnesses and injuries. This is because of their age prone to contacting illnesses from their playmates and their nature to be very active making them prone to accidents. To add, schools are good breeding grounds for infections. The close proximity between children makes germs easily passed among them. In addition, children tend to share classroom and personal equipment and supplies that help pass along germs.
A study shows that 40% of school-aged children miss three or more school days a year due to illness. It is crucial to develop strong immunity among them and to take necessary actions for safety and lesser injuries.
One of the most effective means to prevent spread of germs is proper hand washing. Proper hand washing techniques should be promoted and taught to all school children and personnel. It is also important to keep sick kids from school to prevent contamination and passing of illness to other children. It is advisable to allow a sick child back to school only when they are at least 24 hours fever-free without medicine and when they are drinking and eating normally.
Some of the common illnesses suffered by school-aged children are cold and flu, stomach flu, and head lice. Cold viruses are the most common and the most contagious. It is usually caused by influenza virus. Prevention is the key. Teach children to keep hands and fingers away from his or her mouth, nose, and eyes. Frequent hand washing with warm and soapy water is also very important. Flu vaccine every year is also very helpful.
For stomach flu, it is usually caused by rotaviruses, noroviruses, and certain adenoviruses. These viruses infect the lining of the digestive tract that cause stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. It is crucial to watch out for dehydration. Make sure the child drinks lots of fluids.
Stomach flu can be contracted from contaminated food and beverages. Children should be diligently advised on choosing foods to eat. Washing hands should also be given emphasis. Advise the children to avoid sharing drinks, eating utensils, and toothbrushes and to always eat food off of clean surfaces.
Head lice are minute parasitic insects that live on the scalp. They feed on blood and cause extreme itching. Although not contagious in a sense that they do not spread disease but they can cause a secondary infection when kids scratch their scalp. It is commonly passed from head-to-head contact with someone who has them. It can also spread via personal items like combs, hair brushes, hair accessories, hats and bed linens and pillows.
Cleanliness, hand washing, and improved immunity are all key players in preventing these common school illnesses.
References:
Colón, A. R.; Colón, P. A. (January 1999). Nurturing children: a history of pediatrics. Greenwood Press. ISBN9780313310805. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
Dallas, J. (2005) “Classics of Child Care”. Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
Hemilä, H; Chalker, E ( 2013). “Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold.”. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews 1: CD000980. PMID23440782.
By: Gemmalyn M. Tejada Nurse I DepEd-Schools Division Office of Bataan
