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How to Keep Your Child from Getting Sick this School Year

How to Keep Your Child from Getting Sick this School Year

For most adult’s hand hygiene has become second nature, if you use the restroom, you wash your hands; if you cough or sneeze, you wash your hands; if you touch something dirty, you wash your hands. Add to the many places that now offer hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes (like schools, libraries, grocery stores) then it seems like we should be quite effective at stopping the spread of illnesses. With children, these habits need to be taught. A recent study in Denmark showed a 66% decrease in student absences after the children were given a lesson on hand hygiene. With a new school year ready to begin, keep your child healthy by teaching them how and when to wash their hands.

“Regular training in [hand washing] and [hand disinfection] would be a simple, low-cost action with a very significant impact on reducing infectious illness absence periods among pupils” stated study author and infection preventionist Inge Nandrup-Bus, in a news release from the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Read more

Also, according to a recent study by the CDC, you must wash your hands for at least 20 seconds to get the full benefits.  Teach our kids to a couple of tricks to know how long to wash – like singing the song “Happy Birthday” twice in their head.  Also make sure you stress that they always wash their hands after going to the bathroom and always before handling any food.