What parents should know about back-to-school illnesses, viruses
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Early August is the first day back at school for many Central Texas children. While we all hope that kids learn to share, parents probably don't want them sharing germs.
Dr. Gabriella Dauer spoke with KXAN about what parents should expect with those back-to-school illnesses. She's a neonatal and pediatric hospitalist at the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Westchester, New York, and also a mom of two.
"I have so many parents talking about all the germs and viruses that are going to come up with the new school year," Dauer said. "As parents, we don't want to do any midnight runs for medications. So let's have our medicine cabinet stocked up now, early on, before those symptoms get started."
Her recommendations for parents? Practice good hand washing with children, teach them about good hydration and send them to school with hand sanitizer.
A good early warning sign of illness is if your kid returns home and seems more tired than usual.
"The school day is really long for a lot of our kiddos, and they might feel tired thereafter, but tired from an illness is a little bit different," she said. "So if your kiddo is a little bit more tired, they're a little bit more out of it or not acting like themselves, I want you to take their temperature."
KXAN's full conversation with Dauer is in the video attached to this story.