Trigg County schools are taking precautions to make sure that it does not happen to them. "Our custodial staff has been doing extra things such as disinfecting the desktops and pencil sharpeners," said Assistant Superintendent Beth Sumner.
Sumner said that attendance has been increasing over the last few weeks. "We are on the upswing. Our attendance has been improving everyday," she said.
Trigg County High School took the hardest hit during the first week of February. Most of the other weeks it has been the elementary school with the most absences. Average attendance in the Trigg County School system is 95 or 96 percent. There have been several days where the attendance was only at 87 percent. According to Sumner, "Attendance would have to be down to the lower 80 percent for a consistent number of days to cancel school. In order to break the cycle you would have to be closed for five to seven days."
If a child does get sick at school, each school has a nurse on staff. "Our school nurses have been great to work with parents and children to get through this," Sumner said.
The child's teacher will send the student to the nurse if a child is not feeling well. The nurse will check the child's symptoms, take the temperature and evaluate if he should go home or not. While a child is waiting to be picked up to go home, he can wait in the nurses office or in the front hall by the main office.
One of the most common ways people catch colds is by rubbing their noses or their eyes after they have been infected with the cold virus. People pick up germs from other sources and infect themselves when they touch their eyes, nose or mouth. Doctors and nurses recommend frequent hand washing to prevent spreading germs.
It is recommended that a person wash his or her hands before, during and after preparing food, before eating and after using the bathroom, after handling animals and when hands are dirty. Doctors also recommend washing hands more frequently when exposed to someone who is sick.
For a person to correctly wash their hands he must first wet them and apply soap. Rub hands vigorously together and scrub all surfaces. Continue for 10 to 15 seconds. The soap combined with the scrubbing will dislodge and remove germs. Rinse hands well and dry.
Small sanitary practices, such as hand washing will help people stay healthy throughout this cold and flu season.
