Parents are urged to take simple steps to give their children the
best start to the new school term and protect their communities
following the Christmas break.
As levels of winter illnesses including flu, COVID-19 and
norovirus continue to rise, the UK Health Security Agency
(UKHSA) is
reminding parents of 5 simple steps they can take to reduce
viruses spreading in the community – helping their children make
a healthy start to the year and minimising the impact of illness
on attendance as schools head back and parents return to work.
Teach good hygiene habits
Encouraging good hand-washing habits is one of the most effective
ways to stop the spread. Regularly wash hands in soap and warm
water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser when convenient.
Using a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes, binning it and then
washing hands will help prevent infection from spreading.
Our e-bug resources for all ages
can help you to explain and discuss hygiene habits – and why they
are important – to your child or teenager.
Stopping the spread of stomach bugs
Along with rising cases of norovirus, UKHSA has also been seeing
higher levels of other gastrointestinal infections, such as Shiga
toxin-producing E.coli.
If you or your child have diarrhoea and vomiting, washing your
hands with soap and warm water and using bleach-based products to
clean surfaces will help stop infections from spreading. Don’t
prepare food for others if you have symptoms or for 48 hours
after symptoms stop.
If you are unwell, you should avoid visiting people in hospitals
and care homes to avoid passing on the infection to those more
vulnerable in these settings. Do not return to work, school or
nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped.
Spot the signs of when to keep your child at
home
While children are encouraged to stay in education or childcare
with symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or slight cough
(if otherwise well and do not have a high temperature), children
should stay home from school or nursery if they’re displaying the
following symptoms:
If your child has a fever and is unwell, they should stay home
from school or nursery until the fever has passed and they are
well enough to attend.
If your child has diarrhoea and/or vomiting, they should stay off
school or nursery for at least 48 hours after their symptoms
clear up – this will help stop the spread of stomach bugs.
At this time of year, other types of illnesses that circulate are
scarlet fever and chickenpox, as cases usually peak in late
winter and early spring.
Symptoms of scarlet fever include
sore throat, fever, swollen neck glands, a bumpy rash on the
tummy, flushed cheeks and ‘strawberry tongue’. If you suspect
your child has scarlet fever, contact your local GP; and if
diagnosed stay away from nursery or school for 24 hours after the
first dose of antibiotics.
Chickenpox is highly contagious, with the most common symptom
being an itchy, spotty rash. If your child has chickenpox, keep them off
school until all the spots have crusted over.
Get vaccinated
Vaccination offers the best protection against flu and is given
as a quick and painless nasal spray for children. However,
vaccine uptake amongst pre-school children is one of the lowest,
despite the illness being more serious for this ages group in
some cases.
Children eligible for the flu vaccine include:
- children aged 2 to 3 years old on 31 August in 2023
- all primary school-aged children (reception to year 6)
- secondary school-aged children (year 7 to year 11)
- children aged 6 months and older with long-term health
conditions
Similar to the flu vaccine, there has been a drop in uptake of
routine childhood immunisations, which protect children against
diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria and polio.
You can take a look at the childhood
vaccination schedule to make sure your child is up to date
with all their vaccinations.
Use NHS resources
NHS UK provides easily accessible guidance for parents to
help manage
winter illness at home.
Dr Catherine Falconer, Deputy Director Health Equity and
Inclusion Health at UKHSA, said:
The winter period can see an increase in some of the common
seasonal viruses which disrupt children’s education and cause
more serious illnesses. As children head back to school, there
are steps parents and families can take to keep a household
healthy this January whilst also preventing infections from
spreading when children are poorly. By following this guidance,
parents are also protecting the wider community.
