In just a matter of days the children in our area will be returning back to school. When the kids get back in school, so do many of the common contagious germs. Staying healthy during the school year requires a combination of both common sense and medical science.
Parents, schools, health departments, and medical offices gear up this time of year to help prevent children from getting sick. Among the most effective first lines of defense against unwanted illness are vaccinations. Mandatory vaccinations prior to entering school have greatly decreased the incidence of some of the most common and, at times life-threatening, viral and bacterial infections.
Shots for whooping cough, diphtheria, mumps, measles, rubella, H. flu, polio, chicken pox, meningitis, and hepatitis have made these diseases much less common in the U.S. For example, the number of cases of polio in the early 1950’s was around 50,000. The number of deaths from polio infection was over 3,000. The vaccine was introduced in 1955 and since then the incidence and number of deaths from polio in the U.S. approaches zero.
Unfortunately, not everyone gets vaccinated, whether by choice or oversight. This can lead to the periodic outbreaks of certain diseases that we see each year. For example, last year we saw an outbreak of mumps in some Virginia colleges and in 2010 an even larger outbreak in school-aged children.
An equally important day-to-day preventative measure for keeping every child healthy as they return to school is hand washing. Due to the close proximity of the kids in school and the sharing of desks and other school supplies, the risk of picking up a germ from a fellow student is fairly high. In fact, many individuals can be harboring an infection and unknowingly passing it to others for a few days before their symptoms develop.
Most people touch their face, mouth, nose, and eyes unconsciously multiple times during the course of a day. Individuals infected with a respiratory or gastrointestinal virus can therefore transmit this virus by touching inanimate objects and other people. Frequent hand washing can greatly decrease the chance of picking up or passing infection in this manner.
In addition to vaccines and hand washing, other less obvious, but fundamentally important ways to keep your child healthy include: getting enough sleep at night, a healthy diet, and regular exercise. Most five- and six-year-old children should be getting about 11 to 12 hours of sleep daily. Children seven- to 12-years-old should get around 10 to 11 hours of sleep. And those 13 to 18 should get around eight to nine hours of sleep.
A healthy diet means a diet that allows proper physical and mental development in children. That means a diet high in nutrients such as proteins for muscle growth, minerals for bone growth, and good fats for brain growth. Avoid foods high in concentrated sugars and low in nutrients such as sodas, candies/cakes, and chips.
Children should get at least sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. Exercise has so many benefits to children’s growing bodies including: promoting muscle and bone strength, stability, coordination and flexibility; stimulating brain activity; controlling weight; and reducing stress.
All of these vital parts of a healthy lifestyle will help to keep their bodies’ immune systems working properly and at full power.
The content in this column is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician for appropriate individual treatment. Dr. Reynolds practices Family Medicine in Chesterfield.
