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It’s no secret that children become ill very easily, but the flu season poses an even bigger risk than the rest of the year. People under the age of 18 are twice as likely to contract the flu than adults and a large part of that can be traced back to their school environment!
We’re here to give you all the information you need to go into this flu season educated, prepared, and ready to keep your child protected.
Preventing the Flu
The best method of preventing the flu is to get your child’s flu shot at least a month before peak flu season begins. Some children may even be able to receive their flu shot as a nasal injection if they have a fear of needles. The flu shot has little to no side effects, is covered by most insurance companies, and only takes a few minutes to receive. The flu shot is over 80% effective at preventing the flu.
Proper Hygiene
The flu spreads rapidly in a school setting due to the high number of young children who don’t practice good hygiene. Have a talk with your child at home and teach them the importance of good hygiene. In a school setting good hygiene includes things like coughing or sneezing into their elbow, not sharing pens or pencils with their peers, and regular hand washing.
Proper hand washing should last about 20 seconds and include scrubbing the top of the hands, bottom of the hands, and between their fingers. Watch your child wash their hands at home to ensure they’re using proper technique. Give them a small bottle of hand sanitizer to carry at school for added protection between hand washing!
Avoiding Infected People
Finally, you can protect your child by keeping them away from infected people. This is hard to do in a school setting, but your part as a parent is to keep your child home if their sick. Hopefully, others will do the same and all of the healthy children at the school won’t have to be exposed.
To get your child vaccinated against the flu or for questions about flu symptom treatment, visit our urgent care center today! Flu shots are available for all children over the age of 6 months old and our experienced staff will make sure your child feels comfortable throughout the process. We can even help explain to them the importance of handwashing and proper hygiene at school!
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