Irritation boils to the point of maddening and mamma bear comes outta her cave. There are a lot of people who don't understand my view when it comes to germs and sick kids, but most of those people have healthy kids. Kids that when they contract colds, or flu's don't end up on oxygen or in hospitals. Kids they didn't have to watch brush against deaths door on many occasions. Kids they didn't have to sit by their side day by day and watch fight for every breath they took.
Because I do have a child with Chronic medical issues and watched brush against deaths door many times,
I am very opinionated about on the issue of spreading germs and sick kids. My irritation is currently boiling because last Thursday a boy in Lanie's class vomited in class. It was unexpected. There were no warning signs the child was sick at all, but that's not what I'm mad at. I'm extremely perturbed that this poor little boy went home and was running a fever all afternoon and evening and his mother sent him to school the next day.
Friday when I went to pick up Lanie from school I overheard her talking to another mom. She was saying how her son was running a fever of 101.7 all day yesterday after she picked him up from school but she brought him today anyway. She said she was aware that school policy states that if your child has been sick that they must be fever free and vomit free for 24 hours before they can return to school. She flat out said she didn't care that she had things to do. Those things included shopping for a party she was having Sunday. She disregarded the school policy as well as her sons needs and health just because she had things to do.
I'm sorry but in my book a child's health is way more important than shopping or some party. Keeping the germs from spreading is more important. Because of this woman's actions, my son who has Chronic Lung Disease and asthma is sick. He's on oxygen again. The only things keeping him home instead of in a hospital is the lack of fever and the fact he is keeping his feeds down. I also have a sick little girl on my hands who is extremely, lets be truthful and blunt, shes extremely pissed off at me for keeping her home from school today.
She woke up sounding as bad as Liam and I just couldn't risk her spreading the germs to more kids or getting worse. She too lacks a fever and vomiting. Their health has to be more important than what I want. When you have a child their needs should come first, even at the expense of your own. The last 5 1/2 years I've given up so much for my children. I don't begrudge them that. As a mom its my responsibility and I willingly do this daily for them. That's for another post though.
My children weren't the only ones this woman exposed. Everyone this child came in contact with was exposed and are potentially carriers to continue the spread of the germs as well as at risk to get sick themselves. They'll take it home to their families including younger siblings, parents, elderly grandparents, and beyond. A mom who has a kindegartener just gave birth to a baby about a week or 2 ago so that baby is at risk of getting sick.
There is important information out there about what a cold can do to some people such as newborns and elderly that I feel should be brought up because there are too many people who may not know. Any maybe bringing it up again will open the eyes of some people and they'll think twice before sending their child to school sick or even taking them out into public.
The following is from WebMD and can be read at http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/colds-risk
Ever wonder what makes some people more at risk for colds than others?
While everyone is at risk for getting a cold, some people are at even greater risk. That's because there is a variety of situations and circumstances that can put you and your loved ones at an increased risk for getting a viral or bacterial infection. Let's take a look at some of the people who are at higher risk for colds. Then after reading this article, take time to assess your own risk factors for catching a cold. Next, talk with your health care provider about how you can reduce these risks. By making a few simple changes in your lifestyle habits and washing your hands frequently throughout the day, you can reduce your risk of catching colds and other contagious bugs.
A Newborn's Risk for Colds
Newborns are at high risk for colds or other infections for the first 4 to 6 weeks of life. That's because their immune system is functionally immature. Babies do get some immune protection from the antibodies they receive from the placenta before birth. They also get antibodies through the mother's breast milk if they are being breast fed after birth. But there are many germs that they are not protected against.
It's important to help newborns build a strong immune system before they are exposed to cold viruses. A virus that causes a mild illness in an older child or an adult can cause a more serious illness in a newborn. Here are some ways to reduce the risk of colds for your newborn:
- Breast feed your newborn baby -- it helps boost your baby's immunity.
- Sterilize bottles and nipples between uses by boiling them or running them through the dishwasher.
- Discard unused formula or breast milk (if bottled), after each feeding -- baby's saliva has germs which multiply quickly.
- Keep baby's formula or breast milk in the refrigerator until just before feeding time. Then warm the milk and feed it to the baby immediately, before bacteria have a chance to grow.
- Wash your hands frequently before and after feeding your baby and before and after changing your baby's diaper.
- Keep newborns away from anyone who is sick.
- If possible, avoid crowds and using public transportation with newborns.
Young Kids' Risk of Colds
Young kids fight a host of ongoing viruses and bacteria as their immune systems continue to mature and strengthen. If your toddler or preschooler seems to have one cold after another, you are not alone. Most preschoolers get five to seven, or more, colds each year.
Also, many young kids have numerous ear infections, especially if they have siblings or are around other children in day care. While the struggling immune system produces antibodies to fight these new viruses and infections, the young child is more susceptible to illness.
The most successful way of spreading a cold is transferring mucus secretions to the fingers and hands and then to the mouth or nose of another person. While mouthing toys or other objects is a young child's way of exploring the world, parents must watch out for any items that might harbor bacteria. Here are some tips to reduce your young child's risk of colds:
- Wash toys with soap and water and then allow them to air-dry. Many plastic toys are also dishwasher safe and can be washed that way.
- Wash pacifiers with soap and water frequently.
- Wipe young kids' hands with a clean washcloth and warm water often. Babies love to put their hands in their mouth.
- Wash young kids' hands before and after eating and after playtime.
According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, rhinoviruses, the most common type of cold virus, can live up to three hours on the skin and survive up to three hours on objects such as telephones and stair railings. Cleaning environmental surfaces with a virus-killing disinfectant might help prevent spread of cold viruses. Many cleaning products may be effective for this purpose.
Also, make sure that your child’s immunizations are current and that he or she gets an annual flu shot if over 6 months of age.
Day Care and Colds
Kids who stay in day care facilities have a greater risk for catching colds. Parents can take extra care to help their kids stay healthy. Here are some tips.
- Teach your child the importance of washing his or her hands thoroughly. Hand washing is an essential and highly effective way to prevent the spread of infection. Hands should be wet with water and plain soap and rubbed together -- a very important step -- for 20 to 30 seconds. One way to make sure this happens is to sing "Happy Birthday to You" twice while washing. That will allow ample time to get rid of germs. Then hands should be rinsed and dried with a clean towel that should be discarded in the hamper after each use.
- Remind children to wash their hands before and after eating and after going to the bathroom.
- Use hand sanitizers or hand wipes that are alcohol-based if soap and water are not available. Alcohol helps kill germs.
- Encourage your child to avoid sharing items such as cups, glasses, and utensils with others.
- Keep your child at home when he is ill, and make sure the day-care center's policy is for all parents to do the same. Otherwise, your entire family will be constantly exposed to colds and other infections.
- Make sure your child gets adequate sleep, a varied and nutritious diet, and plenty of time to play outdoors.
- Replace your child's toothbrush regularly, and keep family toothbrushes separate, particularly when someone in the family gets sick.
Older Adults Have an Increased Risk of Colds
Many older adults are more susceptible to cold viruses. They also may have trouble getting over a cold. Here are tips for older adults to help reduce the risk of colds and other infections:
- Keep your immunizations current. There is no vaccine against the cold, but be sure to ask your doctor about the flu vaccine, pneumonia vaccine, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and whopping cough) booster and the shot to help prevent shingles.
- Eat a healthful diet, get sufficient exercise, drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest to keep your immune system functioning optimally.
- Wash your hands thoroughly several times a day, upon rising, before and after preparing food, before and after eating, and after using the bathroom. Many contagious diseases are transmitted by touch. Thorough hand washing can significantly reduce your risk of infection.
- Replace your toothbrush regularly, and keep family toothbrushes separate, particularly when someone in the family gets sick.
No matter what your age or health situation, start today to prevent colds and avoid getting another viral or bacterial infection. When you do, you'll make the future healthier for yourself and for those around you.
Are you at risk for catching flu during the next flu season? What about your family members or colleagues? Are they at risk for getting flu?
What Increases my Chances of Getting the Flu?
With all the media warnings about flu season, you may be wondering what sorts of things increase your risk of catching the flu. First, if you don't get immunized against flu, you may have a higher chance of catching it. According to the CDC, the number-one way to prevent flu is to get an annual flu vaccine.
Because the strain of flu virus changes over time, the influenza vaccine changes annually. That's why it's important to stay current and get a flu vaccine each year -- preferably during the months of October or November or before flu season begins.
Where Can I Get a Flu Shot?
The American Lung Association offers an online flu vaccine clinic locator. Visitwww.flucliniclocator.org, enter your zip code and a date (or dates), and receive information about clinics scheduled in your area.
There's also a nasal flu vaccine called FluMist, which contains weakened live viruses. People with HIV/AIDS and other medical conditions that weaken the immune system should not receive the live influenza vaccine. FluMist is approved for use among healthy persons between the ages of 2 years and 49 years.
Can Certain Lifestyle Habits Increase my Chance of Flu?
If you have poor lifestyle habits, your body's immunity may be compromised. That can result in a greater chance of catching the flu. In addition, the chance of getting flu may increase if you have family members or coworkers with flu and you touch germ-laden surfaces (doorknobs, phone receiver, computer mouse, countertops) that they have touched.
Taking better care of your health by eating a balanced diet, getting regular exerciseand plenty of sleep, and managing your stress may help boost immune function and, thus, reduce your chance of flu.
What About Hand Washing and the Risk of Flu?
Frequent and thorough hand washing is crucial to reducing the risk of flu. Be vigilant about washing your hands throughout the day. Teach your family members to do the same. Keep hand sanitizers with you at all times in case you are unable to get to a sink to use warm water and soap to wash your hands.
Is my Young Child at Greater Risk for Flu?
Children under age 2 years are at high risk for flu-related complications. As infants and young children grow, they are always battling with ongoing viruses and bacteria as their immune systems develop. In fact, it's normal for a young child to get as many as six to eight colds each year, along with ear infections, sinusitis, acutebronchitis, and croup. When a young child is sick frequently or has a weak immune system, the child has even greater risk for catching the flu virus and having complications.
How Can I Protect my Young Child From Flu?
It's important to protect young children from flu germs by watching what they put in their mouths. Keep teething rings, pacifiers, and other "mouth" toys clean by washing them frequently with soap and water and then drying them. In addition, frequently wash your infant or young child's hands with soap and water, because small children are always sucking their hands or fingers. Replace your young child's toothbrush frequently and keep the toothbrush separate from other family members' brushes.
Remember, flu is spread by people who are already infected. The most common flu "hot spots" are surfaces that an infected person has touched and rooms where he or she has been recently, especially areas where the person has sneezed.
If you have a newborn, it's important to protect your baby from people who may haveflu symptoms. If your young child attends day care, make sure there's a "sick child" policy that says parents are not allowed to bring children who have fever or other symptoms of illness to the day-care facility.
Because babies under age 6 months cannot get flu shots, parents, family members, and caregivers should get flu shots to protect the infant from the flu. The CDC recommends that parents keep themselves and their babies away from people who are sick to prevent flu.
For in-depth information, see WebMD's Children and Flu.
Do Older Adults Have an Increased Risk of Getting Flu?
Older people have a higher risk for getting flu-related complications. The CDC estimates that 90% of flu-related deaths and over 60% of flu-related hospitalizations each year happen in seniors ages 65 and older. With age, the immune system weakens so it is easier for flu to become more serious in older people. Older people may also be more likely to have chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease that further increase flu risk.
The following was copy and pasted from a previous blog post I made. Its tip on how to help cut down on germs and keep them from spreading http://mommyconfessionalinmyshoes.blogspot.com/2013/06/uninvited-visitor.html
1) When your school age child gets home from school make it a rule that they must immediately change their clothes into clean "play clothes" and put their school clothes in the laundry room. This will help the germ from spreading to everything they touch or sit on.
2) Make your school age child wash or sanitize their hands when they come home before touching anything. I' have them wash, change, then sanitize to be safe.
3) Shoes carry alot more germs than most people realize so keeping them out of reach of your young baby or chronically ill child is a smart idea.
*Lanie tends to touch the soles of her shoes for some odd reason so I'm always having to explain why she shouldn't and make her wash her hands.
*Remeber if you have a toddler that walks that their shoes are also dirty so they aren't safe to play with. I know it can take some adjusting to remember that its not cute when baby plays with his shoes anymore because he's been walking around in them. It's something that I frequently forget with Liam being a new walker.
4) If one of your kiddos does get sick, keep them away from everyone else. Germs spread fast. Trust me I know how hard that can be. Liam loves to be with Lanie all the time and so they both end up suffering when one gets sick.
* Keep masks in the house so when one does get sick they have to wear one to keep their germs to themselves. They sell them at Walmart, any drugstore and the dollar tree. We keep them on hand at all times. You can always let them color on the mask to make it fun for then to wear. That's been a huge hit in the past at my house.
5) When someone gets sick start pushing orange juice and anything with vitamin C to the whole family. Vitamin C can help prevent healthy kids from getting sick and can help sick kids fight off the germs.
6) Use Lysol disinfecting air spray to keep the bugs from spreading. We spray the house down atleast once a day because of Liam. We also use the disinfecting wipes on everything: counters, door handles, cell phones. I clean my phone at the least once a week.
I hope these tips help cut down on buggies in your home and if you have a tip Id love to hear it!
