Avoiding an illness is immeasurably superior to recovering from one

Parents and caregivers around the country are preparing for that joyful annual event that is “back to school.” Teachers prepare new lesson plans and adventures for their young charges. Teens complain about how short the summer seemed, all the while not admitting to the excitement of getting back to friends and activities.

Everyone is busy getting ready, probably even the bugs and germs that will thrive amidst all that activity. (That might not be scientific, but who’s to say?) If only there was something we could do to avoid the illness and disease that crops up. There is, and it’s called prevention.

No one doubts that avoiding an illness is immeasurably superior to recovering from one. There are some simple steps we can all take to prevent an illness or disease from spreading to and among the people around us. For teachers, caregivers, parents and others involved with children, practising and teaching prevention (start with modelling the behaviours) can mean a much happier term.

We will group the bacteria, viruses, fungi and some parasites that cause many of these illnesses into “germs” to make discussion simpler. Not all germs cause disease and some even help keep us healthy, but there are the communicable germs that spread from person to person.

Germs usually spread among people in one of four ways. They come through the air in droplets coughed or sneezed out and breathed in by others. Some travel only short distances (cold, flu, mumps) while others stay aloft longer and travel further (measles and chickenpox).

Direct contact person to person can spread germs, or person to surface to person. Germs that spread by contact include pink eye and infestations like ringworm, head lice and scabies.

Bodily fluids and blood are also common ways to transmit disease. The germs can enter the bloodstream directly (via a cut or scrape, for example) or via mucous membranes like those found in the eyes and nose. Hepatitis B and C, and HIV all transmit this way. And some germs are spread by insects or animals.

People who have been exposed to illness-causing germs can share them well before showing any symptoms or feeling ill. They do not even look/sound/feel infected or sick, but they can still pass on those germs to others. What to do?

So far, germs seem to have the upper hand. But NO! We can fight back… with prevention strategies (a tough sounding way to say things we can do to avoid getting sick ourselves.)

First strategy: wash your hands, and help little ones around you to do the same. So many germs that are spread by contact do not survive regular hand washing. Spreading a bug can be as simple as one person sneezing onto a counter, you touching it unknowingly and rubbing your eye a few minutes later. Now you have it, too.

Strategy number two is to always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. If one is not available, use your sleeve/crook of the arm and never sneeze or cough into your hands. Too late? Then go wash up right now.

Sharing personal items like hairbrushes, sippy cups, a facecloth, or even a razor (okay, not all of this is about elementary school) can be a perfect way to spread an infection, or an infestation. It can be as simple as trying on your best friend’s new hat and in no time, the hair lice has spread to one more person. Or maybe it was ringworm. Or scabies.

If you are treating a cut or scrape, changing a diaper or handling any bodily fluids, the best strategy is to wear disposable gloves, and yes, wash your hands afterwards, too.

In the busy, interactive and sometimes crowded environment that is a school, playground, preschool or daycare, children and adults face a panoply of germs, bugs, infections, infestations and worse. We can help ourselves, and those in our charge by practicing and teaching sound prevention such as washing hands, coughing into a tissue, not sharing bodily fluids and so on.

If only there was a place where all these great tips were all assembled into one location. How great would that be? Well it is. Vancouver Coastal Health has published a great little guide entitled Sneezes & Diseases: A Resource Book for Caregivers & Parents.

Sneezes & Diseases assembles pretty much everything you should know about the health side of caring for children. It is divided into four sections: prevention; facts about diarrhea, vomiting and fever; Fact Sheets about infections and diseases children sometimes get; and fact sheets on infestations that can occur.

And did we mention washing your hands as a good prevention strategy? It is. Try it.

Dr. Paul Martiquet is the Medical Health Officer for Powell River/the Sunshine Coast/Sea-to-Sky/Bella Bella/Bella Coola.