AMERIGROUP Suggests Ways to Help Keep Children Healthy at School

Source

AMERIGROUP Corporation

Forums

Related Articles

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- As the school year approaches, it is easy to forget how much more susceptible a child becomes to illness after returning to school. Hundreds or thousands of children crowded together five days a week creates a perfect opportunity for germs to spread and illness to enter a home and affect the family. AMERIGROUP offers the following tips to help children remain healthy at school.

• Encourage your children to wash their hands before eating lunch and when they return home from school or other activities. Numerous studies show that consistent hand washing is a key factor in warding off illness.
• Discourage your children from drinking from the same cups as other people and from sharing things like combs, brushes, or toothbrushes. Viruses, bugs, lice, and other germs are spread very easily this way.
• Remind your children to keep their hands away from their face and out of their mouth and eyes. Germs are easily spread this way and could possibly result in an infection.
• Make sure your children have their annual physical before the school year begins. This should include an eye and hearing examination.
• Give your children a daily vitamin. Vitamins will keep them healthy and build up their immune system against germs.
• Tuck your children into bed at a relatively consistent time each night. Plenty of sleep (8-10 hours) is necessary for growing children.
• Feed your children a nutritious and balanced diet to make sure that they are getting all of the vitamins and minerals they need to grow and function at their peak performance.

The goal of the school year is to help ensure your child gets an education, not every possible illness. AMERIGROUP hopes that these tips will keep your whole family healthy and help your children have a happy and productive school year.

CONTACT: http://www.perego.com/pages/RecallCSinstructions.htm

August 2, 2001