Instilling Good Flu Etiquette

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Peak influenza season is upon us. If your child comes down with the flu, teach him or her proper etiquette to prevent the spread of illness.

Spreading It Around

The flu is most likely to strike during January and February. In most cases, children catch the flu bug from other kids at school or day care. You may have taught your child precautionary measures to take to avoid the illness, but what can your little one do to prevent spreading the virus once he or she has it?

Proper flu etiquette begins with understanding how germs spread. Let your child know that the flu virus likes to hang out in people’s mouths and noses. When someone with the flu coughs or sneezes, the flu virus can land on other people or things. If he or she touches a surface that has flu germs on it, the virus can live on your child’s hands for a while and eventually find its way into his or her own body.

Keep It to Yourself

The hands are the one of the most common ways the flu virus spreads. If your child has the flu, he or she should avoid touching other things or people. If your child comes down with flu-like symptoms, relay the following anti-flu rules to make sure he or she doesn’t spread the illness to others:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and warm water, especially after you cough or sneeze into them.
• When you feel a cough or sneeze coming on, cover your face with your arm so your elbow is pointing straight out from your nose.
• Keep your hands away from your face.
• When you cough or sneeze, point your face away from other people.

If your child comes down with a cold or flu, keep him or her out of school and extracurricular activities until symptoms subside.

Sources: kidshealth.org, cdc.gov, diylife.com