Tuesday, October 6, 2009

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Importance of good hygiene in children BY SHAVAUGHN MOSS ~ Lifestyles Editor ~ shavaughn@nasguard.com: After rushing her son to the doctor at least six times last year and being told he was suffering with ear and throat infections, most likely developed from playing and putting his dirty hands into his mouth, Vernetta Evans was a little apprehensive as her son headed out for his first year of primary school as to whether he would practice the personal hygiene she'd taught him. Like all children, five-year-old Skye Hanna, enjoys playing outdoors with family and friends, but unless prodded by his mother, he won't wash his hands if he falls down, and invariably at some point, that hand goes into his mouth. If Vernetta isn't watching him, he probably wouldn't wash his hands before eating, and probably wouldn't wash them after using the bathroom either. "You tell them what to do, but as kids they don't always do what they're told," says Evans, a Royal Bahamas Defence Force officer. "I've shown him how to wash his hands properly, but sometimes I would notice that he would just let the water run over his hands, even though the soap is right there for him to use," she says. Knowing that he was entering first grade, her fears heightened, because she would not be able to monitor him and remind him of the importance of practicing proper hygiene. Prior to Skye heading out for his first day, Vernetta says she reminded him to always wash his hands with soap and water before and after he'd had lunch, as well as after he used the bathroom. She went a step further, and packed a bottle of hand sanitizer into his school supplies and told him to use it even after he'd washed his hands in the bathroom. She says she's just being safe, and assumes he will at least use the sanitizer because he likes the way it leaves his hands feeling cool. She even tried to scare him into cleanliness. "I would show him his hands and say that the germs were taking over his hands, and tell him that was the reason why I was encouraging him to wash," she said. As most children head into their second week of the new school year, Dr. Patrick Whitfield says parents should have, and should continue to reinforce their teachings to avoid their children contracting germs and diseases. "You have to reinforce the proper hygienic practices that you would expect most parents to teach children — like washing the hands after using the bathroom, washing the hands prior to eating, not picking the nose, not sticking the finger in the mouth after playing in the dirt and so forth . . . and you would expect that parents would reinforce that with kids going to school," said Dr. Whitfield. He says parents should be specific in talking to their children about typical practices in terms of regular hand washing, and covering their mouth with their elbow or a piece of tissue when they sneeze and cough. "You would want to reinforce all those practices. Of course you would hope that the kids have bathed before they go to school . . . that's a given." With children from all "walks of life" coming together, the general practitioner says parents should also be on alert and watch their children for skin infections, the three most common ones being ringworm, scabies and impetigo. Ringworm he says would typically be in the child's hair, and parents should seek medical attention and keep the child home for a couple of days so that they don't pass it on to the other kids Scabies, he says are like mites, bite and cause intense itching,and is another infection he says parents be on the lookout for as it easily transmitted from person to person. Impetigo he says is fairly common, and according to Dr. Whitfield is the concept of "raisin legs." He says parents should be aware if their children develops boils on their legs, which they contract in school. He says it is caused by a Staphylococcus bacteria that s highly transmissible. "Then of course you can get respiratory infections such as influenza. This year in particular, we know we will get the regular seasonal flu — that's a given, and it is quite possible that swine flu could also penetrate into The Bahamas to the extent that creates an epidemic, the World Health Organization speculates. If that happens, then parents should play close attention to Ministry of Health announcements as to what should happen as far as schools are concerned. The regular advice, as it pertains to the other kinds of flu, you put in place. It's better that the children stay out of school for the first three to four days while still infectious, for fear of infecting classmates and teachers." According to Dr. Whitfield, talking about hygienic practices should not be a one-off thing, and that how you cough, how you sneeze, using tissues and washing hands regularly should be continually reinforced. "You're not really saying a whole lot new, but it has to be reinforced, and if it isn't there would probably be a breakdown," he said. Monday, September 7, 2009