Pueblo’s top public health doctor shares back to school tips
As the COVID-19-forced distance learning guidelines are scrapped and in-person learning returns in August, before sending children back to the classroom, there are a few guidelines parents can follow to help keep them healthy.
The number one best health boost children can receive is, “tender, loving parents,” said Dr. Christopher Urbina, chief medical officer for the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment. “If parents can provide a supportive household that goes a long way toward protecting their children’s health.”
Urbina advises a well-balanced diet, exercise and plenty of sleep and rest for children as they prepare to head back to school. He said parents should rely on their family doctor to help advise them on other health measures as those doctors know their patients’ needs the best.
The pediatrician can advise if a child needs supplemental vitamins to help bolster their immune system, but Urbina said children who are eating well really should not need the supplemental vitamins.
The family physician also can track what vaccines each child needs as they prepare to head back to school from influenza to RSV and diphtheria to chicken pox.
The influenza vaccine is recommended for children ages 6 months and older, but Urbina advises parents to consult their health provider for advice on the flu shot. When it comes to the coronavirus, the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer is so far the only one recommended for children 12 or older.
“Colds, COVID-19, influenza and RSV all are spread by respiratory droplets,” Urbina said.
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Parents who want their children to be protected from all of those illnesses should encourage them to wash their hands, wear a mask and keep their distance from others. Parents with older children should include hand sanitizer in their backpacks for those times when soap and water is not readily available.
“We did notice a significant drop off in flu cases last year,” he said, because people were following the COVID guidelines of mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing, Urbina said.
While masks are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control for all students older than age 2, Pueblo County is working on developing its own guidelines which will be announced soon. Urbina said if masks are worn, children should be advised to try not to touch the masks.
Another very important guideline Urbina stressed is, “If your kid is sick, don’t send them to school. Whether it is diarrhea, respiratory or fever, keep them home.”
He said any parents who are concerned that their children may have been exposed to COVID should follow through and have them tested.
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Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps.
