Getting sick often in the first years of working with children is a known reality.
For those who work closely with children, the job description should include being constantly exposed to children’s illnesses.
Early childhood educators, teachers and healthcare professionals who are directly in contact with children are bound to get sick.
Children spread and carry germs and you’re being coughed on, sneezed on, touched with dirty hands - and if your immunity can’t handle it, you get sick.
It’s widely acknowledged that transmission of viruses in early childhood education and healthcare settings is due to the close interactions between children and adults and the amount of time spent in settings that are often indoors.
It’s really hard to avoid getting sick especially in those first years of professional life. There are so many contagious viruses that thrive in childcare centres, preschools and healthcare environments.
The good news is that eventually your body does build up greater immunity as you continue to work with children.
In this blog, I’ll share with you some info and tips from colleagues on how to stay healthy.
When Adults Get Kid Colds or other Illnesses
While the occasional cold or sore throat is expected, adults don’t anticipate being a lot sicker than a child is with the very same bacteria or virus. But this common kid-to-adult illness is something that doctors see all the time.
Adults build up antibodies against various germs over the years. These antibodies mount a strong response to any ‘invaders’. The fact that an adult immune system is stronger is actually the reason you will feel worse than a child.
“Those misery-making symptoms - fever, aches, phlegm - are signs that your body’s inflammatory response is kicking into high gear, “ says Dr. Stanley Spinner, chief medical officer at Texas Children’s Paediatrics in Houston, Texas
“A child’s body often deals with infections more effectively and faster than an older person’s body can,” explains Dr. Charles Shubin, Director of Paediatrics at Mercy Family Health in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
In addition, lack of sleep can disrupt the immune system, making people more vulnerable to catching colds.
Stress is another factor that can lower immunity and the body’s ability to fight infection.
Why do some people get worse colds than others?
During the winter months especially, a range of respiratory viral infections, go through the community. The rhinovirus, or common cold, is especially widespread.
Winter’s cold weather is linked to respiratory infections because the cold air cools our noses and respiratory system and slows down our immune response.
We’ve all experienced that on really cold days, noses get very runny and mucus hangs from the tip of the nose. This is mostly water that has condensed out of the cold air passing over warm nasal tissues.
Other viruses such as flu can also cause typical common cold symptoms.
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Research into the common cold has shown that our genetic make-up determines why some people contract more colds than others.
All of our immune systems are quite different and this is why some people have a severe response to common cold viruses, while others have mild symptoms and claim they’ve hardly had a cold in their life.
Doctors explain that if you’ve been exposed to a particular virus before, you may not develop any symptoms at all, because your immune system has been primed to fight off the infection.
However, with common colds, we generally don’t have a strong immune response and therefore we probably don’t get lifelong immunity to a particular virus. We may just get a milder response if exposed to that virus again.
The Three Stages of a cold
Incubation is the first stage that refers to the time that passes between exposure to a virus and the onset of symptoms.
The incubation period of a common cold is about 1-3 days after you have been exposed or in physical contact with someone who has a cold and transmits the virus.
Symptomatic period is that mild sensation of a scratchy, sore or irritated throat. You then experience sneezing and nasal congestion or a runny nose, fatigue and a general feeling of being unwell.
Remission and recovery tend to occur within one to two weeks of first experiencing symptoms.
Use Copper Guardian Antimicrobial Wand at the first sign of a cold for adults and as a natural hand sanitizer for children. Click here to get yours: https://www.copperguardian.com/shop/
By the way, the genesis for the development of the Copper Guardian Antimicrobial Wand was to find an effective and safe way to minimise staff illness in a childcare environment.
The difference between Head colds and Chest colds
Colds that cause symptoms in the upper respiratory tracts are referred to as ‘head colds’ and colds that affect the chest or lower respiratory tract as known as ‘chest colds’, clinically defined as acute bronchitis.
If there is an underlying condition such as asthma, it may worsen acute bronchitis.
If your cold leads to the development of complications such as sinusitis, an ear infection, or a chest infection such as bronchitis, recovery will take a longer time.
Some general tips to help prevent and treat a cold
- Take Vitamin C supplements to assist in boosting immunity.
- Include plenty of Vitamin C rich foods in your diet, such as fresh fruits, especially citrus, broccoli, cabbage and parsley.
- A zinc supplement around 45mg a day has been found to be beneficial.
- Other great immune-boosting foods can be included in the diet such as miso, ginger, garlic, onion, yoghurt, green tea and seaweed.
- Keep warm, and especially when outdoors, keep your neck and chest covered.
- Teach children to cover their mouths and turn their heads away from others when they cough, and sneeze into their upper arm.
- Teach children to use tissues when blowing their nose and to throw used tissues into the bin immediately.
- Make reward charts to help children understand how to keep germs to themselves.
- Insist children and adults stay home when not well.
- Use hand sanitiser or gloves whenever attending to a child’s hygiene.
- Hot drinks are particularly good for a sore throat and cough..
- Increasing evidence indicates that sweet cough syrups are beneficial in inhibiting coughs.
- For adults, paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen are effective in controlling fever, muscle aches and pains, headaches and sinus pain Always check the label before taking over the counter cold remedies.
- Nasal decongestant sprays can offer relief from congestion.
- Washing your hands, using the Copper Guardian, wearing gloves, cleaning, etc. all help to reduce the spread of germs.
Tips from teachers how they avoid getting sick
Clean your hands well and often.
Washing your hands is the number one prevention in stopping the spread of infectious respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. If there’s no soap and water in sight, a hand sanitiser is also a good option.
Carry Copper Guardian in your pocket or bag for instant hand sanitizing.
Be sure to disinfect your surfaces often, especially when there is a lot of illness.
Reach for disinfecting wipes frequently. Also sanitise door handles, countertops and anywhere else in the classroom that needs it.
Droplets from a sick person with flu or cold viruses can land on surfaces where you might inadvertently touch them and then transmit these germs on your hands to your nose, mouth or eyes - and you get sick too.
Consider changing clothes when you get home from work.
Bacteria and viruses that you come into contact with during the day can cling to your clothes. So changing out of clothes that may have hitched a ride home with you can decrease the amount of bacteria and viruses you are exposed to.
Try to get between seven and nine hours of sleep at night.
Adequate sleep is so important for your immune system. Sleeping enough is important for everyone, but it’s especially crucial for teachers and others constantly exposed to a lot of germs. Seven to nine hours sleep is recommended.
Stop touching your face.
It’s hard not to touch your face, but unfortunately it’s an excellent pathway for most of these upper respiratory viruses to enter into your body through your nasal passages, mouth and eyes.
Related: You will find this link very useful and interesting for up-to-date info!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3928210/
Allan GM, Arroll B. Prevention and treatment of the common cold: making sense of the evidence. CMAJ. 2014;186(3):190-199. doi:10.1503/cmaj.121442
Adults have more immunity to colds than kids do
There are hundreds of viruses that cause the common cold and you’ll never develop immunity to all of them. But the longer you are in close contact with children and the longer you live, the more cold viruses you encounter and the more anti-cold virus antibodies you develop
Scientists also theorise that a lifetime of exposure to cold viruses may partly explain why some older adults seem particularly immune to colds. And generally, adults practice better hygiene than children which also explains why adults get about one-third as many colds as children do.
Yes, it’s great working with children so try to self-manage and do all you can to help improve your immunity and to minimise symptoms of respiratory illness.
Help care for yourself and fight off a cold virus! Download my free e-book The Secrets of a Natural Germ Killer to learn the scientific facts about copper, fight infection and live a healthier life. https://www.copperguardian.com/ebook
Order your Copper Guardian Antimicrobial Wand here. https://www.copperguardian.com/shop/ and stop colds before they even get started
Wishing you year round good health, Elisabeth