How to help prevent the spread of illnesses at school

Without fail, it seems like within the first few weeks of being back in school, people start getting sick.

As Saskatchewan students prepare to go back to school, a health expert wants to remind students how to avoid falling ill.

Dr. Johnmark Opondo, communicable disease medical health officer with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said parents play a big role in protecting their children from viruses at school.

“Getting vaccinated is a great first step, but there’s more that people can do after being vaccinated,” said Opondo.

“Parents play such an important role – and so do schools – but one of the big things parents can do is keep their kid home when they are not feeling well.”

Opondo said it’s also important to make sure children are practising proper hygiene techniques, both at home and at school.

“(Those include) washing your hands, avoiding crowded areas as best you can (and) staying home if you’re not feeling well. We learned that, and it works. We practised that during COVID, and it worked,” said Opondo.

As for the role schools play in keeping students safe from illness, Opondo said it’s often as simple as having staff remind students about proper hand-washing techniques and how to properly cover a cough or a sneeze.

Opondo said illnesses typically increase at the start of the school year because immune systems are fighting back against viruses they’re not familiar with.

“For many students, this may be their first time in a school with a lot of people, so they’ll be exposed to viruses they may not have experienced before,” explained Opondo.

According to Opondo, after students have been mixing for a few weeks, their bodies build up an immunity to the many viruses around their schools.

“It’s not that your immune system got weaker; it’s that it takes your body around two weeks to build up immunity to viruses,” said Opondo. “Your body mounts an immunity, but after some time the immunity to the virus goes down.”

That, Opondo explained, is why updated flu shots are made available each year. The health authority is targeting Oct. 10 for the release of this year’s flu vaccinations.

Saskatoon Public Schools and Saskatoon Catholic Schools start on Sept. 5

The public and Catholic school divisions in Regina start on Sept. 5.