The new school year is officially upon us, and after more than two years of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, students are excited to get off to a relatively normal start. Still, Essentia Health infectious disease specialist Dr. Bertha Ayi warns students and parents not to let their guard down and encourages them to stay vigilant about their health.
“We are starting to see a slight increase in COVID cases,” warns Dr. Ayi. “We should all continue to take COVID seriously. It hasn’t gone away, even if the guidelines have become less strict.”
Calling vaccines one of the most effective tools to prevent infectious diseases like COVID, Dr. Ayi says: “Now that the COVID-19 vaccine is available for children 6 months and older, I encourage all children to receive this vaccine. along with the other recommended immunizations for your age group.”
Unfortunately, well-child visits and immunizations have been disrupted by the pandemic, and many children have fallen behind on their immunization schedules. A report released by the World Health Organization and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund summed up the drop as “the largest sustained decline in childhood immunizations in about 30 years.”
Dr. Ayi urges parents to get their kids back on track, warning that diseases once eradicated here in the United States could make a comeback if too many children fall behind on their immunization schedules.
“This resurgence of polio in the New York City area serves as an example of what can happen when not enough people are vaccinated,” she says.
In addition to receiving the recommended vaccinations, Dr. Ayi says that masking can make a big difference when coming into close contact with other people.
“When COVID-19 came out and everyone was wearing masks, the incidence of influenza and other respiratory illnesses plummeted tremendously,” he said. “It means that after all these years of struggling with different respiratory illnesses, especially in the winter, apparently all we had to do was wear masks so that people with coughs and colds don’t spread them as much.”
Dr. Ayi also recommends that parents monitor their children’s mental health.
“The pandemic taught us the importance of mental health,” he said. “Parents should listen to their children and children should speak up if they feel something is becoming stressful or is affecting their learning process.”
She warns that too much stress and anxiety can weaken the immune system, making a child more susceptible to infectious diseases.
“I can’t say enough how important it is to maintain good mental health to prevent infections, and this usually starts at home,” said Dr. Ayi. “Parents need to make sure their child has a happy home environment. They need to make sure their child gets enough sleep and eats healthy foods because a lack of either can also lead to a weakened immune system.”
Lastly, Dr. Ayi says that educating our children about infectious diseases and how to prevent them can be very helpful.
“Parents and teachers need to remind children of the importance of regular handwashing, which has always been an important part of infection control,” she says.
And while the emergence of monkeypox poses little threat to elementary school children, it could become a bigger problem for college students living in close quarters. Dr. Ayi encourages parents to educate their children about this disease, especially since the monkeypox vaccine is not yet widely available.
If you are the parent of a child returning to the classroom or campus this fall, visit our immunization page to learn more about protecting your child from preventable diseases.
Also, be aware of the different quarantine guidelines after COVID infection or exposure. If your child contracts COVID, please make sure they properly isolate and are healthy and symptom-free before returning to the classroom.
Source: www.essentiahealth.org