Protection from H1N1 Virus in Schools

Well everyone, it is now September and that means all the little kiddies are going back to school. September also means that the fall and winter seasons are upon us and the cases of sickness will start to rise. On top of the regular colds and flu, we now have the H1N1 virus to contend with. While it is almost impossible to completely avoid contracting the virus, there are ways we can help students stay healthy. Many of these tips are simple and easy to follow.

Parents:

1) Make sure that you discuss the importance of hand washing to your children. This is something that needs to be started as early as possible. Be sure to let them know when it is important to wash their hands (before meals, after touching dirty objects, etc).

2) Make sure that your child holds their mouth when they sneeze or cough.

3) If your child appears to not feel well and exhibits symptoms such as fever, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms, keep them home. If the symptoms go on for more than a couple of days or if the symptoms worsen, take them to the doctor immediately.

4) Have your child carry around a small container of hand sanitizer. This will help prevent the spread of germs.

5) Make sure your children eat healthy foods. Also, make sure that they are getting plenty of sleep.

6) If there seems to be a lot of sickness going around at your child's school, consider having them wear a face mask.

7) Make sure your children get their flu shots. This will help them stay healthy.

Teachers:

1) Consider having a bottle of hand sanitizer in the classroom. This will help prevent the spread of germs.

2) Have a mini lesson on the flu and how it spreads. Suggest ways to prevent it from spreading to the students.

3) If a child appears to not be feeling well, send him/her to the school nurse. Kids will not learn well in the classroom when they do not feel well and they will spread germs to other children.

4) Have a science lesson that shows what the virus looks like.

Students:

1) Wash your hands periodically. Avoid putting your hands in your mouth and try not to touch your eyes or nose after touching a potentially contaminated surface.

2) Hold your mouth when you sneeze or cough.

3) Do not share personal care products with anyone. This includes hair brushes, make up, chap stick, etc.

4) Try to stay away from people that are sneezing and coughing excessively.

I hope some of these tips help. While there are things that are out of our control, we can all work together to make sure that children stay healthy. Have a happy and healthy school year!