Kids Getting Sick Right After School Starts? Tips for parents to lessen risk, paediatrician shares
Paediatrician Dr Lokesh Mahajan says children often fall sick after schools reopen due to increased exposure to infections. Good hygiene, healthy eating, adequate sleep and keeping sick children at home can help reduce the risk.
Parents will usually see a familiar pattern when school starts up again after the holidays—children coming home with coughs, colds, sore throats or fevers in the first few weeks. “It is normal for sickness to go up when kids are back in close proximity with school mates and it is easier for viruses and bacteria to spread,” pediatrician Dr. Lokesh Mahajan told Nine.com.au. Most of these infections are mild, but there are simple steps parents can take to reduce the risk and keep their children healthy.
Why Children Get Sick When the School Opens
Classrooms, school buses and playgrounds bring large groups of children together who then spend time together, health experts say. This increases the exposure to common viral infections such as the common cold, seasonal flu and stomach bugs. Young children are particularly vulnerable as their immune systems are still developing and they may not always practise good hygiene.
Additionally, alterations in routine, irregular sleep patterns following holidays, and the pressure of returning to school can temporarily impact a child's immunity, making them more susceptible to infections.
“Parents should encourage their children to wash their hands with soap on a regular basis, especially before eating and after using the toilet,” says Dr Mahajan. Teach children to cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and not to touch their eyes, nose and mouth with their hands if they have not washed them.
Eating a well-rounded diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and protein, and drinking plenty of water, can help boost your immune system. Getting enough sleep and exercise every day are also important to kids’ overall health.
Parents also need to make sure their child’s routine vaccinations are current and ask a doctor about getting a seasonal flu shot if it is recommended.
When to Keep Your Kids Home
Children with fever, persistent cough, vomiting, or diarrhea should not go to school, they say. Keeping a sick child at home helps prevent the spread of infections to fellow students and allows the child to get well.
Parents are advised against self-medication but to seek medical attention immediately if symptoms persist, worsen or are accompanied by difficulty in breathing, persistent high fever or dehydration.
Children do pick up a few common infections when they go back to school but good habits at home and reinforcing hygiene practices can go a long way to reduce the risk. But doctors say prevention, early care and proper nutrition remain the best weapons for helping children stay healthy during the school year.
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