Going back to school can tax your kid’s health. Catching up with old friends and making new ones can be an exciting time, but close contact with other kids also increases the chance that they’ll become sick or have an accident that results in an injury.
In the first few months of a new school year, there are lots of germs going around. They’re on desks, keyboards, in the classroom, and on the playground—where accidents also happen. The best way to minimize these germs is to teach your child to wash their hands well—and often. If your child does come down with a bug, keep them home from school until they’re fever-free for 24 hours without medicine.
Common Back-To-School Illnesses and Injuries
- “Backpack-itis”: Overstuffed backpacks can cause head, neck and shoulder pain, and could lead to bad posture. Use your bathroom scale to figure out what your kid weighs with and without their backpack. Make sure the full backpack doesn’t weigh more than 10% of your child's weight. Also, make sure your child wears both straps. A lightweight pack with wide straps and a padded back is a good choice.
- Colds and flu: Colds are very contagious. If your child doesn’t have a fever, it’s probably OK to go to school. It’s important not to spread germs — so teach your kid to cough or sneeze into a tissue—or an elbow—and to wash their hands. When it comes to flu, prevention is important. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a flu shot for everyone aged six months and older.
- Impetigo: This skin infection is very contagious. Symptoms include sores and blisters on the face, neck, and hands. Keep any cuts clean and teach your child not to scratch rashes and bug bites. Thorough handwashing helps prevent the spread of impetigo and strep throat, which is related.
- Lice: These tiny bugs live on the scalp, feed on blood and cause itching. Kids usually get lice by being in close contact with someone who has them. To keep your family lice-free, teach your child to avoid head-to-head contact and not to share hats, helmets, hair accessories, towels, or other personal things. Make sure students don’t share cubbies or lockers.
- Pink eye: This eye infection, also called conjunctivitis, is easily spread from one kid to the next in school. Signs include bloodshot eyes, itchy and burning eyes, and a yellow or green discharge from the eyes. If your child has pink eye, a prescription for antibiotic eye drops is needed to treat it. Like other contagious diseases, the best prevention is good handwashing.
- Playground injuries: Common injuries include fractures, cuts, bruises, and sprains. But dislocations, broken bones and concussions can also happen. Most injuries happen on playground bars or climbers. Make sure the playground is supervised and that your child follows the rules.
- Strep throat: Strep throat can spread through the student body pretty fast. In addition to a sore throat, symptoms may include a runny nose, high fever, and headache. If untreated, strep throat could lead to rheumatic fever. It’s important to get a strep test and treat this disease with antibiotics. Teach your child to steer clear of anyone with a sore throat and to wash hands often. Your child should also know not to share drinks, spoons, forks, knives or toothbrushes.
- Stomach flu: This bug isn’t really the flu—but it is a virus and it’s highly contagious. It causes stomachaches, vomiting, and diarrhea. Stomach bugs can lead to dehydration. Teach your child to always wash their hands after using the bathroom and before eating. Your child should not share drinks, forks, knives, spoons, or toothbrushes.
