Your Childrens Health

With flu season in full swing many parents are constantly concerned with the thought of their children becoming sick. Due to school and daycare centers it is highly likely that a child will catch the flu. The flu is a dangerous illness that is highly contagious. The majority of flu cases cannot be prevented in children because one way or another it is likely that children will transfer germs and bacteria to each other; however, there are some steps that parents can take to reduce the likelihood of their children getting sick.

When it comes to school and daycare there are many parents who will not send their child if they are sick or display flu symptoms. Parents always need to keep in mind that just because they would not send a sick child to an establishment where other children will be does not necessarily mean that other parents think the same way. You can do a lot to prevent your children from becoming ill with the flu; however, if they come into contact with a sick child their chances of contracting the flu more than double.

At elementary or middle schools it may be more difficult for parents to keep an eye on other children; however, many parents can keep a tab on the other children at a daycare center. Daycare providers have an obligation to protect the child in their care; however, there are still some providers who accept sick children. Before dropping your child off you are encouraged to ask your daycare provider if any children are showing signs of the flu or another sickness. If there are sick kids at the daycare center parents may want to consider taking their child home for the day. Although parents will have to miss a day or two of work it is much better than contracting the flu, which can actually keep children sick and parents out of work for up to ten days.

Other easy ways that parents can prevent their child from getting the flu is by keeping them away from any of their siblings that may be sick. Do not encourage children to eat or drink from the same cups or plates without first being washed. If someone in the household is sick with the flu or beginning to show some symptoms of the flu it is important that parents disinfect the house. Simply using a disinfecting cloth or a disinfecting spray will eliminate a number of harmful bacteria that could cause a child to become ill with the flu.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, January 21st, 2006 at 6:38 pm and is filed under Flu. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.