Kids, especially those under the age of five, are one of the highest risk groups for complications from the flu and other infectious diseases. They’re also at greater risk for infection if they go to daycare or school, where they’re indoors in close contact all day with other kids. Anyone with kids knows how cute they are, and also how often they pick up colds and other bugs.
We can’t stop flu season, but there are steps we can take to help protect our kids, their classmates, and all of our families and our communities. Let’s walk through them.
1) Vaccination
It’s a cliché because it’s true: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Making sure your kids are fully up to date on all vaccinations, including the annual flu shot, is your best first defense. We can’t anticipate when illness will pop up in the classroom or within our community, but with declining vaccination rates, we know we can’t depend on herd immunity, or community immunity, to protect our kids from an outrbreak. There have been more and more instances of measles, mumps, pertussis, and even diphtheria popping up in recent years. These are all preventable through vaccination, but insufficient rates are allowing these diseases to break back in to our population. Vaccinate to protect your own family and that protection will also extend to vulnerable people in your community. Remember that adults need boosters, so check with your GP to see if you’re due.
The flu shot is an important annual step. While it isn’t a guarantee and we never know how effective it’ll be at the start of the season, it prevents a lot of cases and helps keep a lot of people out of hospitals or worse. You may still get the flu after having the flu shot, but it’s likely your case will be much less serious. The flu shot program in Ontario has reduced cases by 61%, despite only 34% of us participating. Try to have your whole family vaccinated by the end of October.
Are vaccinations stressful in your house? Try these tips.
2) Hand hygiene
Washing your hands at least eight times a day (and more as needed) can significantly reduce your chance of contracting and spreading the flu. Help your kids learn this habit and practice at home. Not sure if they’re washing long enough? A trick that works well for us is singing. They need to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice while washing with warm, soapy water. It helps them know how long they need to wash for, and it helps us hear that they’re on track if we’re in another room. Practice together and talk about when it’s important to wash hands (before meals, after touching frequently-touched surfaces, etc).
It also might be helpful to send hand sanitizer. Check your school’s policy and teach your kids proper use.
3) Cover coughs and sneezes
There will be coughs and sneezes. Help them learn how to cough and sneeze into their elbow sleeve to contain the spread of germs. Germs can’t live long on fabric, and this keeps them out of easy reach and out of the air. It’s often called the ‘vampire cough’ because it looks like a vampire pulling his cape across his face. Teach them this trick and help them practice.
4) Sick days
I know. This one is tough. But we all have to do our part to reduce illness in our shared spaces, and we’ll all be healthier together. Take note of the sick day policy at your daycare or school and follow it. Most places have strict rules regarding fevers, vomiting, and diarrhea. Those are in place for a reason. Please don’t medicate a fever and send a sick kid to school. A fever means the body is fighting something that could potentially be very serious to someone who has an underlying health condition. We don’t know who at school might have asthma, diabetes, a heart condition, or any other factor that puts them at greater risk. If you’re in a position that makes sick days difficult or impossible, please do everything you can to avoid illness in the first place.
5) Clean frequently touched surfaces
Kids touch their faces. A lot. It’s helpful to remind them to minimize this habit during flu season, but it’s important to make sure we’re cleaning things we all touch a lot, like door knobs, light switches, taps, bannisters, and drawer handles. Flu germs can live on hard surfaces for up to 48 hours. Cleaning these surfaces can help reduce the spread of illness within our own homes.
We can’t prevent everything, but we also aren’t helpless. We can all take steps to reduce our own risk and the risk we pose to each other. Flu prevention works best when we all do our part, but falls apart when few of us are making an effort. Let’s all do what we can to take care of ourselves and each other, and keep all of our kids as safe as we can this season and every year.
For Jude, For Everyone.