Just when you settle into a new school year, a late-night fever and a scratchy throat derail your child’s routine. A week-long stomach bug practically has your child living in the bathroom.
The start of a new school year means more than rushing to meet the school bus and completing homework. An abundance of classroom germs can sideline your child and quickly burn through your sick leave or personal time.
Before the next virus hits your household, Premium Urgent Care is here to go over the most common back-to-school illnesses to watch for this fall, along with practical tips for keeping your family healthy.
Bacterial Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis)
Your eyes have a thin lining covering the inside of the eyelids and the surface of the eye. Bacteria can trigger an infection of this thin layer.
Bacterial, fungal, and viral pink eye cases occur each year, but only about 30% of diagnoses are bacterial. Bacterial pink eye requires prescription eye medications, usually an antibacterial ointment or drops.
Symptoms to Watch For
- Eyelid glued shut, especially after sleeping
- Eye irritation
- Greenish or yellowish discharge
- Pink or red eye whites
- Slight eyelid swelling
Prevention Tips
Wash the eyelids carefully using a gentle facial or eyelid cleanser. Pat the area dry, and put the towel in the wash. Don’t reuse the towel.
Don’t share towels or pillows with anyone else until they’ve been washed and dried to remove bacteria. Make sure your child isn’t sharing stuffed toys with others in the class, as they could get pink eye if they cuddle the toy around their face.
Common Cold (Rhinovirus)
The cold is one of the contagious viruses that is hard to avoid. In a crowded classroom, a student can cough or sneeze without covering their mouth, spreading it to everyone nearby. It’s also a virus that many kids will go to school sick because a fever isn’t always present.
It’s spread through personal contact, touching something someone with a cold has touched, being in crowded spaces with someone with the virus, and by respiratory droplets from someone who breathes, coughs, sneezes, or talks near you.
Symptoms to Watch For
- Cough
- Low-grade fever
- Runny nose or nasal congestion
- Sneezing
- Sore, scratchy throat (often from postnasal drip)
Prevention Tips
Of all the common childhood illnesses, this is a tougher one to avoid. Washing hands for 20 seconds and distancing oneself from someone who has a cold are the best ways to prevent it. Boosting the immune system during peak cold and flu season can also be helpful.
Instead of letting your child have a lot of processed foods and snacks, try to incorporate plenty of fruit and vegetables in all colors. Drinking enough water also helps thin nasal mucus, which helps clear germs from the nasal passages.
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (Enterovirus)
Many cases of HFMD spread through feces, such as during a diaper change or after a child uses the bathroom at a daycare or preschool and doesn’t wash hands long enough or at all. If a child has active blisters, the virus spreads through the fluid from popped blisters. It can also spread through saliva.
Symptoms to Watch For
- Blisters on the hands and feet
- Fever
- Less interest in food or beverages
- Painful mouth blisters
- Sore throat
Prevention Tips
The best way to prevent HFMD is by washing hands after using the bathroom, avoiding contact with others who have the virus, and not sharing cups or cutlery with other children.
Influenza (Flu) and Coronavirus
Influenza involves several virus strains that trigger inflammation. Many cases of the yearly flu spread through droplets of spit while coughing or sneezing. It can remain on surfaces for several hours, making it possible to spread the flu by sharing toys, markers, or electronic devices.
Like the flu in how it spreads, COVID-19 continues to adapt after the pandemic. Its symptoms are similar to the flu, but there are some differences, such as the loss of taste and smell.
Symptoms to Watch For
- Chronic dry cough
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle and body pain
- Sudden high fever
Prevention Tips
A yearly flu shot helps lower your child’s chances of contracting the flu. Most children no longer qualify for the COVID vaccination, but those with underlying health conditions may qualify if their pediatrician agrees. Vaccinations are a good preventive measure against severe symptoms when your child qualifies.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
RSV is a common virus that impacts the respiratory system. It’s similar to the flu or a severe cold, but it can be dangerous in younger children.
Direct transmission occurs when someone with the virus coughs or sneezes nearby. Sharing items that a child with RSV has is another way it’s spread. A child could chew on a pen and then put the pen back into the school supplies, but the germs are now on that pen. If another child uses the pen and also puts it in their mouth, the virus spreads.
Symptoms to Watch For
- Fever
- Loss of appetite and energy
- Nasal congestion
- Persistent cough
- Wheezing
Prevention Tips
Pregnant women can get a vaccination that provides their baby with antibodies. Most children have to ride it out, and do so without too much difficulty.
Avoiding it comes down to avoiding others who have RSV. Washing hands after touching classroom items that other children have touched is also a good way to prevent RSV.
Strep Throat
A bacterial infection of the throat lining and tonsils causes strep throat. It can lead to rheumatic fever and damage the heart or cause kidney inflammation if it’s not diagnosed and treated by a doctor.
Symptoms to Watch For
- Fever
- Severe throat pain
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Swollen tonsils with white patches
- Tiny red spots on the roof of the mouth
Prevention Tips
The bacteria spread through contact with saliva, such as coughing into another child’s face. A child could let a friend take a sip of their drink or use their spoon to try something, thereby spreading strep throat.
A good rule of thumb for your child is not to share spoons, forks, cups, or straws with classmates or friends.
Stomach Bug (Norovirus)
Up to 21 million cases of norovirus cause severe stomach bugs in people each year. Watery diarrhea and projectile vomiting make it difficult to keep down liquids and food.
Norovirus spreads when someone with the virus handles food without washing hands. It can also be transmitted through contact with feces, such as when a child doesn’t wash their hands after using the bathroom and then shares a bite of a cookie with a friend.
Symptoms to Watch For
- Abdominal cramps
- Low-grade fever
- Sudden, severe nausea
- Vomiting
- Watery diarrhea
Prevention Tips
Norovirus persists on surfaces for weeks. The virus sheds for up to three weeks, making it a long, persistent bug. Washing hands thoroughly before handling food and drink is essential. It’s also important that your child doesn’t share drinks or foods with friends.
What About Measles?
What about the media alerts about a group of Fresno-area farmworkers who were exposed to measles? Is there a high risk of measles outbreaks in Fresno schools? It’s unlikely.
While measles is less likely, there have been cases in Fresno. School-aged children are legally required to have:
- 5 doses of TdAP (Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis)
- 4 doses of polio
- 3 doses of hepatitis B
- 2 doses of MMR (Measles, mumps, and rubella)
- 2 doses of varicella (chickenpox)
Exemptions are only allowed for medical reasons. The exception must comply with American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines, and a note from a licensed California physician is required. If your child does have an exemption, know the common symptoms.
- Cough
- Fever higher than 101°F
- Rash that starts on the face and spreads
- Red, watery eyes
- Runny nose
Vaccinations and Sanitary Practices Prevent Most Childhood Illnesses
Vaccinations remain a safe, effective way of preventing many contagious diseases. Premium Urgent Care offers walk-in appointments for vaccination series and booster shots. Our doctors also offer testing to confirm if your child has strep throat.
Handwashing and coughing or sneezing into a sleeve also help stop the spread. Your child should wash hands for 20 seconds before eating. Otherwise, hands need to stay away from the mouth until they’re washed.
Even with regular handwashing, some viruses spread through the air. It’s harder to avoid those illnesses. Monitor your child for common symptoms, and keep your child home until they’ve been fever- or symptom-free for at least 24 hours. We’re always here if you have questions or want a doctor to make sure your child is on the path to recovery. Book an appointment today!