Kids are going back to school; infectious diseases will rise− here's how to stop

When kids and students go back to school, they easily contract diseases including common cold, flu and other diseases such as norovirus, strep throat, COVID-19 among others. This is the case mostly due to close contact and shared facilities prevalent in schools that spread the diseases a lot. According to the professionals in the field of health, steps such as vaccination, washing, and self-isolation must be pursued to contain its occurrence.

School going children’s return to school is usually associated with increased parental, teachers and health care providers’ alert. Schools are places that put children together long enough to increase the rate at which germs are transmitted among them. This year the number of affected people has also increased rapidly in some regions, which can be linked to new strains of the virus. Even the flu and common cold follow this time of the year because children mingle closely with others.

It is important that prevention strategies are put in place to minimize the spread of diseases that are causing this rate of cancer in the population. It could also be recalled that vaccination is one of the measures that worked effectively in reducing severe illness. At present pediatricians have advised that children should get vaccinated for flu and COVID as a way of minimizing the risk. The children also need to be taught the correct way of washing their hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds which can go a long way in decreasing the spreading of germs.

Schools also still employ different measures to ensure the health of the student population is well checked. These measures include frequent washing and disinfection of the commonly touched materials such as door handles, encouragement of the use of sanitizers and advising students to keep off school if they have flu-like symptoms. Some schools have also put some extra precautionary measures such as enhanced facility air-filtering systems and limited wearing of masks in some events to cut the possibility of spreading the virus.

Children too are expected to assist in this by avoiding school if they feel sick in order to be taken home by their parents. It is characterized by fever, cough, sore throat, possibly vomiting or diarrhea. It will help in avoiding the spread of diseases by isolation of all sick children before they spread diseases within or to the school community.

Infectious diseases seem to slightly go up during the school year and thus are a wakeup call for the need to encourage more community health. It is now possible for parents, teachers, and health care providers to combine efforts and make the environment safer for kids. Ensuring that one is up to date with the latest health recommendations and ensures that one takes preventive measures can go a long way in minimizing the spread of diseases. Therefore, it is evident that there is a higher probability of contracting infectious diseases during the period of school. Still, by vaccinations, personal and community hygiene and cooperation, it is possible to mitigate this risk and have a healthier school year for all involved.

Author: Mason Whitaker

Reference: LibRichards. Infectious diseases spike when kids return to school − here’s what you can do about it. Medical Press. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-infectious-diseases-spike-kids-school.html. Published August 12, 2024.