Pre-school aged children are prone to many common infections such as “coughs and colds”, “pink eye” and tummy bugs. Some studies have shown that an average pre-schooler will have some form of upper respiratory infection “a cold” 8-12 times a year! This is in part due to their increasing exposure to the outside world and in part because they are in close contact with many other “bug carriers” in their class rooms. As children develop immunity against common local bugs, they tend to become sick less often.
Most of these infections are self-limiting, meaning the body’s natural immune system clears the infective cause, usually a virus. A memory, or immunity, against that virus is developed. Complications are rare and the need for antibiotics is uncommon.
Children are most contagious at the onset of their symptoms, especially during the sneezing/coughing phase, or the onset of pink eye or diarrhoea. The virus is spread through the air – when a person with a cold sneezes or coughs, small amounts of the virus can be released into the air and by direct contact. It’s important to remember that viruses can be spread not just from person-to-person but from object-to-person through objects like toys that have been touched by someone with a cold, pink eye or diarrhoea.
Basic hygiene such as hand washing, wiping surfaces with domestic detergents, covering mouths when coughing etc reduce the transfer of the virus from one person to another. It is therefore advisable to keep children at home for the first 1-2 days to reduce the transfer to other children in a classroom setting, creating a mini-epidemic. Close caregiver observation during this time will also help determine whether or not to seek professional advice or treatment.