Bytheway... How to avoid back-to-school sickness

I HAD an auntie who always kept her kids at home at the start of term. She wanted to wait until the school had been properly ‘aired’ so they often enjoyed an extra two weeks’ holiday while the rest of us started back.

The return to school and illness go hand in hand — and here’s why. The weather is colder and children are congregating en masse. They have been on the move so will be incubating a nice collection of germs carried from their nan’s house in Scotland or a holiday in France. They are delighted to see their classmates so they huddle together, creating the perfect breeding ground for germs. No longer under the scrutiny of parents, children can ‘forget’ basic hygiene such as washing their hands.

And so it begins, the winter cycle of coughs, colds, snots, trots, critters and warts. So how do infections spread? Gastro bugs and worms are spread through the gut. This is a polite way of saying that you catch something because someone hasn’t washed their hands after going to the leithreas. The respiratory system also helps to spread germs. Coughs and sneezes can spread everything from the common cold to chickenpox. Skin-to-skin contact is another way of catching something in the classroom — think impetigo, scabies and ringworm.

The good news is that the more children are exposed to the school environment, the better. As they go through the years, their immune systems become stronger and more resistant to germs — that’s why primary school pupils are hit hardest.

There are three important ways to keep classroom ailments to a minimum. First, hand hygiene is essential. If you can teach your child to do a ‘high 5’ then you can teach them how to wash their hands and use a hanky. Next, make sure your children are fully immunised. We need herd immunity of 90 per cent to protect the population. Those who elect not to vaccinate put all children at risk.

Finally, when should you keep them off school? This is every working parent’s nightmare. Sympathy in the office wanes when little Johnny is off with yet another temperature and mum has to stay at home.

Don’t keep children off school for a sniffle but do let them stay at home if they have a temperature. Rashes are tricky but if they are accompanied by fever, steer clear of the classroom. Diarrhoea and vomiting? Ground them for at least 48 hours. Worms, conjunctivitis, simple sore throats, verrucas and head lice, however, should never see them barred.

Bear in mind that you are also vulnerable to the bugs they bring home. Practice what you preach when it comes to hands and hankies, and hopefully you’ll be top of the class!