TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - It's the season for cold weather and colds...kids with runny noses, coughs, and other symptoms that come with just not feeling good.
"Your standard colds are going to last a while," explains Coco Murray, a Community Health Nursing Supervisor. "You can't give antibiotics, so you have to treat the symptoms."
Murray says if you have a fever, you should stay home from school.
"We want them to be fever free without any medications for at least 24 hours," recommends Murray. "That means their body is actually fighting something off. So when they wake up in the morning, don't give them medication and send them to school, because it's still going to be there when it wears off."
There are things you can do to help keep from getting sick. First -- wash your hands with soap and water. It is the number one preventative measure you can take.
"Wash your hands before you eat, if you've been outside," said Murray. "I always made my kids wash their hands as soon as they walked in the door from school, so that you're not just spreading things from one spot to another."
Second -- cough or sneeze into your arm to stop the spread of germs. Finally -- get enough rest.
"Make sure they are getting enough sleep at night, that if kids are going to bed, are electronics off," advises Murray. "We have a lot of kids coming in that are just tired. So make sure their immune systems don't get compromised because they are not getting enough rest."
Great reminders during cold and flu season.
A lot of great information for parents, schools and childcare providers can be found on the Center for Disease Control's website, www.cdc.gov/flu/school.
