Four Common Back to School Illnesses

Backpacks ready, lunches packed, and before you head out the door, you realize your child is just not quite right. Though we do our best to avoid it, your child is exposed to a world of germs each day at school, and eventually, that might lead them to take an unexpected sick day.

As the school year starts, you’ll want to do everything you can to keep your kids healthy and ready to fight germs all year long. That must first start with knowing the most common illness and the symptoms that come along with them:

Head Lice
The most apparent signs of head lice are scratching, sores on the head, or irritability. Since it’s only spread through direct contact, the best way to avoid it is to talk to your child about prevention. Instruct them to avoid head-to-head contact, and to never share brushes, combs, or any hair accessories with their friends.

Pink Eye
Redness, swelling, itching, and crusting of the eyelashes or the eyelids are the most common pink eye symptoms. Not only is pink eye uncomfortable, but it’s also highly contagious, and like most illnesses, handwashing is the best way to prevent it. Encourage your child to wash their hands often throughout the day and to avoid touching or rubbing their eyes when at school.

Strep Throat
One of the most contagious illnesses in the classroom, strep throat is often spotted by a red throat, swollen tonsils, and red, yellow, or white spots in the mouth or tonsils. The best form of protection is informing your kids always to cover their mouth when sneezing and coughing, and never handle used tissues and to wash their hands regularly.

The Common Cold
Airborne and easily spread from person-to-person contact, it’s no wonder colds are called common. It’s likely that, at some point in the year, your child will catch one, but you can at least limit it to that. Fever, runny nose, coughing, or sneezing can all be symptoms. Though a cold and the flu virus can often be mistaken for each other, but here’s how to know the difference.

To avoid continually catching a cold, instruct your kid to keep up with proper handwashing and to avoid anyone with cold symptoms throughout the day.

If your child is feeling under the weather and sneezing, fever or cold-like symptoms do occur, the Walk-in Clinic in Gillette, Wyoming, is here to help.

We can provide you with the personal and quality care you need. Save your spot in line or walk-in today!

Learn more at www.cchwyo.org/wic.