To learn more about health and safety topics for children, go towww.RockyMountainHospitalForChildren.com
It never fails… shortly after the bell rings to
begin the new school year and the teachers hand out
the first assignments, a stream of children head to the
nurse’s office. Being together in the class-room facilitates the exchange of fun andlearning for children – and the exchangeof a variety of germs. The task for parents,
educators and physicians is to determine if theillness carried by these germs is viral orbacterial in order to determine the right treatment.The most common illnesses childrenbring home are viral in nature.
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October 2010
by Dr. Christopher PergremMedical Director at Centennial Medical Plaza
Viral infections easily spreadthroughout schools and homes.Unfortunately, the lessons on proper hand washing andhygiene measures that parents drill into their children
at home are often forgotten at school.Kids can easily become distracted
and forget to cover their coughsand sneezes or reach for adoor or shared object beforewashing their hands. Within
seconds, germs are trans-ferred to several other classmates —
including your child. As soon as your child reacheshome, he opens the refrigerator to grab a snack or picksup the T.V. remote — depositing germs for everyone inthe family to catch.
Because viruses come on slowly, it maybe one to two weeks before yourchild experiences the first symp-toms of the virus he caughtwhile sharing a ruler with aclassmate. Meanwhilethe germs have spread toeveryone in your household — and to yourwork colleagues, friends, neighbors andanyone close to your family.
Once the illness makes its presence knownwith a variety of symptoms ranging from a sore throatto a cough to a fever, the real test begins: how totreat it. While antibiotics are the perfect an-swer to a case of strep throat, they flunkthe test when it comes to viruses and shouldnot be prescribed to treat a virus or its symptoms.
In fact, antibiotic overusecan lead to antibiotic re-sistant bacteria that canpose a serious threat toyour child in the future.
So, how can you tell the difference between strep throat and a virus? A simple four-step checklist called the Centor criteria performed by amedical professional is most useful in determiningwhether a patient has a strep infection or a virus.
_ Does the patient have a fever(typically defined as 38° C or 100.4° F)?
_ Are the tonsils infectedwith pus pockets?
_ Are the lymph nodes in the neck tender?
_ Is there an absence of a cough?
If the patient scores four out of four, most physicianswill provide treatment for strep throat without takinga culture test. If the patient scores zero or one,the illness is treated as a virus. Patients whomeet two or three criteria typically receive a rapid streptest and are treated according to the results.
The Centor criteria is not flawless and occasionally achild who meets all four criteria will not actually havestrep throat, while another who doesn’t meet the crite-ria will have the disease. However, for the majority ofpatients, the Centor criteria accurately classifies the illness and prevents antibioticabuse.
Unfortunately, viral infectionscan’t be cured with medications. Viral illnesses present with a myriad of symptoms— fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, fa-tigue and muscle aches— and vary from patientto patient. Treating the symptoms and pro-viding plenty of fluids are the best ways tomake your child feel better.
Most viruses last for 10 to 21 days (althoughit may seem like longer!) and symptoms gradually re-solve. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousandsof different viruses and subtypes of viruses and yourchild may pick up a new one while recovering from thefirst virus. Again, the best course of action is to be seenby a medical professional who can review the symp-toms against the Centor criteria.
Fortunately, there is protection for one of the nastiest viruses – Influenza.Providing your children with a flu vaccinehelpsto ensure they – and you – won’t suffer the sig-nificant symptoms that come with the flu.
There are also specific medications that may be effec-tive in treating influenza and its symptoms.
Most of the “bugs” your child brings homefrom school will be viruses that are besttreated with rest, liquids and symptomatic
treatments. However, if youare unsure about the nature ofthe disease, or if your child hasan underlying medical condi-
tion or is in great discom-fort, your assignment is to
schedule an appointmentwith your child’s primarycare physician.
Rocky Mountain Hospital for Childrenand its family of locations in every HealthONE hospi-tal brings trusted experience and proven care to youand your children. For information on parenting,health tips and more, visit www.ParentPages.com orwww.RockyMountainHospitalForChildren.com.
Tips for Staying Healthy Wash your hands…the proper way!
1. Wet hands with water and apply to your hands the amount of soap recommended by the manufacturer.
2. Rub hands together vigorously for at least 20 seconds, covering all surfaces and giving added attention to fingernails and areas where jewelry is worn.
3. Rinse hands with water.4. Dry thoroughly with a clean or
disposable towel.5. Use towel to turn off faucet.
For younger children who may rush their handwashing, have them sing a short song like “RowRow Row Your Boat,” or the “Happy Birthday” song,which will ensure they wash for at least 20 seconds.Placing hand-washing reminders at children’s eyelevel will also help them become consistent handwashers.
Avoid sharing objects such as utensils, cups andbottles.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and wash your hands afterwards. If a tissue isn’t handy, cough orsneeze into your elbow or upper arm, not yourhands.
Keep your sick child home to reduce spreadingthe disease.
RockyMountainHospitalForChildren.com
When your doctor’s office is closed...
Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children after-hours advice line
First Call® for Children ...Our nurse advice line has the answers to your after-hours questions
303.563.3300(Out of Denver area call toll-free 1-877-647-7440)
For medical emergencies ALWAYS call 9-1-1 Open Mon-Fri 5:00 pm - 8:00 am | 24 hours weekends and holidays
For after-hours questions about your child’s health,there’s First Call for Children every night and everyweekend and holiday:
_ FREE pediatric advice and information line
_ Brought to you by Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children
_ Staffed by specially trained pediatric nurses
_ Based on national illnesses and injuries guidelines
