Avoiding germs a key back-to-school lesson

Teaching children how to avoid the spread of germs is the first step to keeping young scholars healthy.

Posted 9:52 p.m. Aug 11, 2015 — Updated 9:52 p.m. Aug 11, 2015

On average, elementary school children get up to 12 colds or cases of the flu each school year. Many parents and teachers refer to it as the back-to-school plague.

Teaching children how to avoid the spread of germs is the first step to keeping young scholars healthy.

Germs travel fast in a crowd, and classrooms with young children more likely to touch faces, mouths and noses can serve as incubators for colds, pink eye and strep throat.

Easy steps to avoid spread of germs in school

Avoid the water fountain. Each child should bring a personal water bottle to school and refrain from sharing it with others.
Use hand sanitizer, especially before eating lunch. Cafeteria trays are a hotbed of nasty germs.
Get enough sleep. Rest helps keep the immune system health. Sleep experts say kids need 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night.
Eat a good, nutritious breakfast, including vitamin C, to build energy and resistance to germs.
Bundle up. Studies have shown people who protect themselves from Old Man Winter's wrath are less likely to catch colds later on in the year.

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