Sending your child to school when you’re worrying about swine flu can be scary, but you can teach them some simple rules to help prevent illness.
Sending your kids to school, possibly exposing them to classmates sick with swine (H1N1) flu, can be scary. But knowing how to protect your child can help ease your anxiety.
Rest assured that your child’s school has plans in place for reacting to silagra an outbreak of swine flu or any other emergency. You can also help your children protect themselves from swine flu, and many other infections, by teaching them some easy prevention tips.
Helping kids avoid germs
Help keep your kids healthy by teaching them to:
- Wash their hands. The most important prevention technique you can teach your kids is to wash their hands frequently with warm soap and water for at least 20 seconds – about the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.
- Use hand sanitizers. Also give them alcohol-based hand sanitizers to keep in their book bags or purses. Tell them to use it after touching any surface where germs may live and to rub it on their hands until they are dry.
- Know when to wash or sanitize their hands. During a flu outbreak, teach them to wash or sanitize if possible after touching such surfaces as:
- Stair rails
- Lunch room tables and chairs
- Gym equipment
- Pens, pencils or other school supplies borrowed from other students
- Lockers
- Computer keyboards
- Desks and chairs
- Water fountains
- Bathroom faucets
- Doorknobs
Also make sure they wash their hands:
- Before eating
- After using the bathroom
- After blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing
- After touching an animal
Keep them at home
If your child shows any signs of illness, keep him or her at home for at least 24 hours after his or her fever is gone. The fever should be gone without the use of fever-reducing medication.
If the school decides to close the school due to a swine flu outbreak, make sure your child stays home. Keep your children from gathering with groups of classmates at the mall, playground or other popular locations. This could defeat the purpose of closing the school.
