Flu Prevention Tips for Kids
As parents and teachers know, children have a way of picking up colds and other illnesses at school. Teach kids to adopt these healthy habits in order to prevent the spread of germs:
- Avoid sharing objects such as utensils, cups, and bottles.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and wash your hands afterwards. If tissue-less, cough or sneeze into your elbow or upper arm, not into your hands.
- Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth to keep germs from entering your body.
Hand Washing: A Simple Solution That Really Works
Proper and consistent hand washing is one of the easiest ways to prevent the spread of flu. Teach kids by example by showing them proper hand washing technique:
- Wet hands with water and apply an amount of soap recommended by the manufacturer to hands.
- Rub hands together vigorously for at least 20 seconds, covering all surfaces of the hands and giving added attention to fingernails and surfaces where jewelry is worn.
- Rinse hands with water.
- Dry thoroughly with a disposable towel.
- Use towel to turn off faucet.
For younger children who tend to rush their hand washing, have them sing a short song such as “Row Row Row Your Boat,” or the “Happy Birthday” song – this will ensure they wash for at least 20 seconds. Placing hand-washing reminders at children’s eye level will also help them become consistent hand washers.
Educational Tools
Parents and teachers can reinforce kids’ hand-washing habits by using tools such as The Scrub Club® , which offers free materials to raise awareness about the benefits of hand washing to fight germs and prevent illness. The fun, web-based experience is complete with educational materials, music, games and cartoons.
Created by the American Red Cross and NSF International (NSF) and available in the English, French and Spanish, Scrub Club® is being used in hundreds of schools nationwide.
http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/school/flu-prevention
Additional information can be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control. See link below
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2015-2016.htm
