Keeping your child well this winter

Dr Jenny Harries the Director of Public Health for Norfolk and Waveney (pictured below) has asked us to pass on her simple advice about protecting your child from tummy bugs and flu this winter.

Simple hygiene kills germs

¨   Hand washing, particularly after using the toilet, is crucial. It is really important to encourage children to do this.

¨   You just need hot, soapy water – alcohol hand gels and “wet wipes” do not kill some germs

¨   At home, keeping surfaces clean using hot soapy water can destroy germs.

¨      Sharing towels and linen spreads germs – washing them at 60° kills germs

There is a very useful “germbusters toolkit” available online www.norfolk.nhs.uk/germbusters

It contains videos, fact files and leaflets about how to prevent the spread of germs and what to do if you or your child falls ill.

When can my child return to school?

Children who fall ill with tummy bugs should not return to school until 48 hours after they were last sick or had diarrhoea. We understand entirely how difficult this can be for families, with work and childcare to manage. A child who is sick might well have caught the illness from someone who was sent back to school before the infectious period had passed. The aim of this advice is to prevent illness spreading within schools and causing more families distress.

If you have the ‘flu then you can usually treat it yourself with advice from your pharmacist, plenty of fluid and rest

I hope this information is helpful to you. We appreciate the efforts you make to keep infections out of school.