By TARA HETTINGER
Tara.Hettinger@newsandtribune.com
> SOUTHERN INDIANA —
School is back in session and that means children may start to bring home more than just homework.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold alone.
Selma Clark, infection prevention manager for Clark Memorial Hospital, said she can tell when children are back in school.
“We notice a bigger rise in infections in the fall,” she said. “ ... because when the kids get together, they share their germs.”
She said during the summer, children are often separated, with some being at home, family members’ houses or at daycare. She said the fall brings children back to one place.
“Kids are getting together and they touch things,” Clark said, adding that most germs are contracted through contact. “You have to touch it to get it and that’s what children do.”
But she said there are precautions parents and children can take to stay healthy. She said the most important is to encourage effective and frequent hand washing and avoiding the T-zone — the eyes, nose and mouth. Clark said contaminated hands touching the T-zone is how germs get into people’s bodies.
Give kids sanitizer gel, if old enough, to use often in school. She also said to disinfect commonly used areas, such as doorknobs and light switches.
Clark said to discourage your child from using water fountains, since some children put their mouths on them. She also said switching to mechanical pencils can help. Studies have shown that the dirtiest thing in any classroom is the community pencil sharpener, Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at University of Arizona, said on Web M.D.
Clark said children should also be told to not share food, drinks or clothing.
She said staff infections, such as MRSA, are becoming common in this area and is being seen in daycares, playgrounds, churches and more. To help keep kids safe, she said to keep cuts and scrapes covered and use effective hand-washing.
