Kids Are Back to School, and So Are Germs: 5 Ways to Keep Your Health Optimal in Connecticut
As summer officially ends, schools and classes are slowly starting to roll back out. Soon, schools will be filled with kids running to their classrooms.
As kids get excited to reunite with old friends, meet new people, and learn more about the world, parents are busier than ever to prepare their kids for the upcoming school year.
As kids get excited over shopping for new school supplies and clothes, parents have the innate responsibility to do everything they can to strengthen their kids’ health so they are ready to face an unwelcome classmate: germs.
Whooping Cough Outbreak in CT
As hundreds of students swarm back the hallways of schools, so do germs and viruses that can easily be passed around unsuspecting children.
Recently, whooping cough has been on the rise in the state of Connecticut. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory illness. It usually begins like a common cold but the coughing can last for weeks or months.
The bacteria that causes whooping cough is airborne and spreads from one infected person to another through the air. When an infected individual coughs or sneezes, they release droplets of liquid with bacteria in them. When other people breathe in these droplets, they also breathe in the bacteria.
Infants younger than 1-year-old are at greater risk of getting the infection and suffering from severe complications. Those with pre-existing or immunocompromising conditions are also at risk for developing severe infections.
What this means for back-to-school season
Schoolchildren are especially susceptible to contracting the whooping cough virus. Kids will spend hours in a classroom, inhaling the same air as other children. When kids don’t fully understand the dangers of germs and the possibility of spreading them to their friends, they are at a greater risk of contracting illnesses.
5 Ways to Keep Your Kids in Optimal Health for School
The state of Connecticut is currently experiencing its largest whooping cough outbreak in years. And with the new school year kicking off in full gear, it’s crucial more than ever to take proactive steps in keeping your kids in optimal health. Here’s what you can do:
- Encourage good hygiene
Teaching your kids proper hygiene is a basic yet effective way to help prevent spreading and contracting whooping cough. Additionally, they also prevent the spread of other germs and viruses that may be lurking in children’s classrooms.
Children should be washing their hands before and after eating, after going to the bathroom, and after playing with shared toys. Proper hand washing must be at least 20 seconds. To help kids remember this, make them sing ‘Happy Birthday’ from start to end twice.
Teach your kids to wash their hands whenever they cough or sneeze and do the same if someone in close vicinity coughs or sneezes.
- Don’t share personal items with other people
Germs and viruses can easily be passed around via saliva. When your child contracts a virus, they’re going to go home and spread it with the rest of the family too.
Teach your kids to never share personal items like water bottles and utensils. Toys and other items that have been in the mouth of someone else are also a big no-no. Buy your children their own personal items for use and label them. Teach them to never lend them out to anyone.
- Get vaccinated
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), highlights that the best way to prevent whooping cough is to get vaccinated. Everyone - adults, teens, and young children - need whooping cough vaccination.
Whooping cough can affect people of all ages. Younger patients are at a greater risk of developing severe complications from it. Getting vaccinated is your child’s number one defense against contracting the highly contagious virus.
Talk to your healthcare provider to learn more about the vaccination and what you can expect from it.
- Know the symptoms of whooping cough
The early symptoms of whooping cough can look a lot like the common cold. It also shares very similar symptoms to COVID-19 and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).
It’s important to seek medical care right away if you, your child, or anyone in your family starts exhibiting whooping cough symptoms.
Whooping cough early symptoms:
- A mild and occasional cough
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Low-grade fever
Whooping cough later symptoms:
- Rapid, violent, and uncontrolled coughing fits (known as paroxysms)
- A high-pitched “whoop” when patients inhale after a coughing fit
- Vomiting during or after coughing fits
- Struggling to breathe
- Tiredness after the fit (patients usually seem well in between coughing fits)
- Difficulty sleeping at night due to fits
- Rib fracture
- Make sure your kids eat well and get enough sleep
Lastly, keep your child’s defenses up by strengthening their immune system. Give them a proper diet of proteins, fresh fruits, and vegetables, and keep them hydrated.
According to the American Academy of Sleep, 3 to 5-year-old children must sleep for 10 to 13 hours every night. Children 6 to 12 years of age should sleep 9 to 12 hours and teens aged 13 to 18 need 8 to 10 hours of sleep.
Conclusion: Get Your Kids’ Immune System Ready for School
As children get excited to be going back to school, parents must be extra cautious as the number of whooping cough cases continues to rise in the state of Connecticut.
Teach your kids the importance of hygiene and the dangers of germs and viruses that could be going around. This is key to keeping them in optimal health especially since you won’t be around them 24/7 as the new school year starts in no time.
