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Germ Warfare!
by Kristi Grigsby
Our first year of preschool has been everything they said it would be: full of fun, social interaction, and...colds. Now, after spending yet another week at home recovering from our most recent bout with a viral infection, Jenny was anxious to return to her classroom today.
But after fighting a seemingly unending battle of runny noses, coughs and soar throats, paranoia has gotten the better of me. Hoping to avoid exposing my child to any more viruses, I managed to stick around long enough to check out all the other children as they shuffled into the classroom this morning. I gave their noses a once-over, then listened for a cough or for the rumblings of a congestion-filled respiratory tract. Amidst my examination of my daughter's classmates, I thought to myself, I have a problem. This is not normal. Then just as I was ready to give up my self-proclaimed role of germ warrior and kiss my daughter goodbye, I heard it. From across the room came the sound of a slight cough accompanied by the chest rumblings I have become too familiar with.
"Come on, Jenny, we're going home." I wanted to sweep her up and carry her back to the car in an attempt to save her from the experience of being home sick again next week. And to save her the agony of trying to fall asleep despite the constant interruption of a nagging cough. And to save her from the constant wiping and blowing of her little button nose. And, yes, for selfish reasons, to save myself from interrupted sleep, playing doctor ten times a day, and watching more videos than I care to admit.
But it was too late. Jenny was already enthralled in play dough, and while she continued to mold blocks out of the red dough she held in her hands, she looked up at me and said, "you know what? I'm all better now. I want to stay." And she was right. She was healthy now. And I finally realized there was no good reason for me to take her home. That is, until my imagination began running rampant. I began to imagine the creepy crawly germs that the little boy's cough had spewed across the room. That one of them was gradually inching its way across the table and onto the red play dough my daughter held tightly in her hands. "AHHH! Stop it!" I demanded of myself. "This is crazy. You're being ridiculous."
Yes, I was being ridiculous. After all, this was school. And school means learning and sharing and all the wonderful things that go with it…including the spreading of germs and the unavoidable illnesses that result. It's just not realistic to think that every child should remain at home at the first sign of a runny nose. If this were the case, young children would never be out of the house! But there are a few misconceptions that parents should be aware of when deciding when it is appropriate to stay home:
1. He has a runny nose, but it's not green so he's not contagious. The fact that nasal discharge may be greenish in color may play a role in the form of treatment recommended by a physician, says Dr. Dina Badra, a Board Certified Pediatrician located in Naples, Florida. "But unless your child has suffered from a chronic runny nose such as that associated with an allergy, a runny nose --clear or otherwise -- is a symptom of an illness." Even a mild runny nose can indicate the presence of a cold virus, or be an indicator of something more severe like the Rota virus. This virus causes vomiting and diarrhea in children, yet its initial symptoms can be as simple as a slight runny nose.
2. It's just a little cough. Dr. Badra warns, "any cough should be considered a symptom of a potential viral infection." The fact that a child has a little cough is indicative that something is wrong, particularly if your child doesn't normally cough, or has not experienced an allergy or asthma related cough. Dr. Badra goes on to explain, "this little cough may very well be indicative of an early upper respiratory infection, an ear or throat infection, even early stages of pneumonia." The infected child coughs on a toy (or a park bench, or a slide, or a swing, or a grocery cart...you get the picture), the toy ends up in another child's hands, and when those hands then end up in the second child's eyes, nose or mouth...presto! By week's end, there's another sick child. And this need not happen instantaneously. A virus can linger for several hours just waiting to latch onto its next unsuspecting victim.
3. She's on antibiotics, so she's not contagious. This is true if indeed the child is being treated for a bacterial infection. For example, Dr. Badra explains that a child with a strep infection can be given an antibiotic and return to school 24 hours later without risk of infecting her classmates. However, although it is against the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics, many physicians still prescribe antibiotics for viral infections. Antibiotics do nothing to kill a virus and therefore, if your child has a virus, she may still be contagious whether or not she is receiving antibiotic treatment. Dr. Badra offers this prescription to parents: learn about the differences between bacterial and viral infections, and talk to your child's doctor about them. Understand that antibiotics should not be used for viral infections - one of those is the common cold.
Yet with all that being said, it is true that in most instances, colds are unavoidable. A child is contagious during the incubation period - the period of time that passes before any symptoms become visible. There's nothing like the dreaded feeling of calling a friend who came over for a play-date yesterday and delivering the news, "Jenny woke up sick today. I'm really sorry if your child gets sick." I don't like making those calls any more than I like receiving them, but circumstances such as this are an inevitable part of raising children. And while many instances are not preventable, there are habits you can instill upon your children to help them stay healthy. Doctor Badra offers the following advice:
· Teach your children to wash their hands with plenty of soap and water.
· Don't allow your children to share cups with others.
· Teach your children to blow their nose with a paper tissue, then promptly throw it away.
· Encourage your children to keep their hands off their eyes, nose and mouth.
· Wash toys with warm, soapy water.
· Teach your children to sneeze into a tissue or into the shoulder rather than on others.
· When possible, keep the windows in your home open to allow fresh air to circulate.
· Wipe germs from high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, etc.
· Make sure your home is smoke-free.
OK, so maybe there is a bright side to all of this. Maybe all those people who keep telling me, "at least she's building up an immunity" are right. Dr. Badra notes that the average child under the age of five may have as many as eight to ten colds per year. By adolescence, this number drops to two or three colds per year. Perhaps with every cold my child suffers through, I should be chalking it up to one less cold she may have to endure next year. And I should be thankful that it is, after all, just a cold.
Kristi is the mother of two young children, and cofounder of the Send A Child A Smile program www.SendaChildaSmile.com – a program that delivers “smiles” to children in need.
©2001 Kristi Grigsby. All rights reserved. Article used by permission.
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