National Influenza Vaccination Week

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced the week of December 8-14, 2008, as National Influenza Vaccination Week. It’s so important to take precautions against the flu! Here are some tips from Clorox and the national PTA to help prevent the flu at home and in the classroom:

• Get Vaccinated: Effectiveness varies from 70 percent to 90 percent. It is recommended for children 6 months through 18 years of age.

• Wash your hands frequently: Germs are the culprit in causing flu. Take time and thoroughly washing hands.

• Help Stock Up: More than 56 percent of teachers buy their own cleaning supplies. You can help by donating cleaning supplies, such as Clorox disinfecting wipes, to help your teacher stock the classroom and keep it clean.

• Take Five: Experts believe that up to 80 percent of infectious illnesses are spread by touch and students can touch up to 300 surfaces in just 30 minutes. Take 5 minutes to wipe down commonly touched surfaces in the classroom such as desks, pencil sharpeners and keyboards to help reduce the spread of germs

• Teach Healthy Habits: Remind kids to share wisely. It’s great to share items like books, toys and pencils, but not items like combs, brushes, hats, toothbrushes, tissues, whistles, cups and forks.

• Do the Elbow Cough: Cough into your elbow, not hands (where you’re more likely to spread germs through touch).

• ABCs of Sneezing: Keep tissues handy and teach kids how to blow their noses early – instead of doing the icky sleeve swipe. The key is tossing tissues in the trash right away to keep germs at bay.

• Sleep is Key – for parents and children, earlier bed times mean better performance the next day.

On a personal note, I was so happy when my kids finally received their flu shots last week! It took so long, because Michael has been bringing home all of these little colds and viruses from preschool and “sharing” them with Sean. You’re not supposed to get the flu shot while you have a cold, so the timing was tricky. Fortunately, since both kids were fine last Monday, I called their doctor and asked if I could bring them in on Tuesday for their flu shot. So (hopefully!) they’re safe for the season. I think that they received their shots just in time. Michael and I went to see a show with a friend and her daughter on Saturday. On Sunday, we received a call from my friend’s husband…my friend has the flu! Yikes – Michael should be ok, but I still haven’t made the time to get my flu shot this season. Hopefully, the flu will pass me by….I really can’t afford to get sick this week. Oh well, I’ll see what happens.