Even at the cleanest daycare centers – germs are a given.
Today we have Dr. Maried Celkis, family medicine physician with Allina Health Oakdale clinic, who will provide you with tips on how to care for some of the most contagious day care illnesses and what you can do to prevent your children from getting sick.
Selected Podcast
Caring for Common Day Care Illnesses
Featured Speaker:
Maried Celkis, MD - Family Medicine
Maried Celkis, MD is a board-certified family medicine doctor with professional interests in pediatrics, preventive care and women's health. Transcription:
Melanie Cole (Host): Even at the cleanest day care centers, germs are a given. My guest today is Dr. Maried Celkis. She’s a family medicine physician with Allina Health Oakdale Clinic, and she’s here to provide us with some tips on how to care for some of the most contagious day care illnesses and what we as parents can do to help keep our children from getting sick. Welcome to the show, Dr. Celkis. Are kids who attend day care and preschools more prone to infection than kids who do not?
Dr. Maried Celkis (Guest): Absolutely. I think it’s just because of the exposure that they have. More kids, more germs, more chances of getting sick.
Melanie: Okay, so when we think of day care and some of the worst ones—pink eye and yikes, croup—and that’s why I don’t like to take my kids to the big ball pit -- you know, we call that ball pink eye. Tell us a little bit about some of those most common day care illnesses and what you want parents to know about them.
Dr. Celkis: There’s many, many common day care illnesses. I think just thinking about the most contagious ones, you think about just the common cold. Your child’s going to present with maybe a fever, a runny nose, cough, and as a mom of a toddler, I know a cough is the worst thing ever. That’s the most common symptoms for a cold. Pink eye is very contagious. The eyes can get red. They don’t necessarily have to, but the mattiness—they get matted shut in the morning—that’s the one that I want parents to note. Take your kids to the doctor. It’s probably going to be viral, but they may still get an antibiotic drop just because after 24 hours of being on the drop, then they can go back to day care and they’re not contagious anymore. Those are the ones that I’ve seen actually recently.
Melanie: Well, I think you bring up a great point. When do we as parents watch and wait? When do we say we don’t need an antibiotic? Because I’m sure as a physician, you are seeing parents come in and say right away they need an antibiotic even if it’s a virus. How do we know the difference between a virus and a bacteria?
Dr. Celkis: You know, that’s a good question, and it’s kind of hard. Unfortunately, one of the big answers is going to be time. We know that a common cold is going to last about a week and we know that it should be getting better with time. Even if some of the symptoms still last longer than a week, meaning, a runny rose or just a cough, but the child, they should be feeling better and you should see that improvement. If we don’t see improvement in about a week, then that’s when I start thinking, “Could this be something bacterial?” A common question that I get from parents is, “I think they have strep throat.” We need to remember that usually, strep throat does not present with a cough. A lot of the times parents come in saying, “My child has a sore throat, fever, and a cough. Therefore, it’s strep throat.” A lot of the time, it’s just a viral illness.
Melanie: When we think about things like stomach flu -- because you can get that just from somebody not washing their hands. And they’re at day care. It’s going to be a stomach flu extravaganza there. What is stomach flu different than actual flu influenza which we might get our children vaccinated for?
Dr. Celkis: Yeah, that’s a good question because that’s a common misconception. We call it the common stomach flu, but it’s not like the influenza. When you think about the influenza or just the flu, that is high fevers, sneezing, body aches. That’s also very contagious. We try to vaccinate everybody because it’s one of the most common preventable if we vaccinate adults, elderly kids. The stomach flu has a completely different gamut of symptoms. It’s stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and you are so right, it is oh so contagious. I would recommend that if someone in the household has the stomach flu, clean the bathrooms, everything the child touches. Make sure that you wash the child’s hands—kids don’t do a great job at washing their hands. Use soap and water. Hand sanitizer is great for everything, but soap and water is great for the stomach flu.
Melanie: What do we do? Getting these germs at a young age, exposing these children, does that strengthen their immune system for later?
Dr. Celkis: There’s been many studies done in that same question, and the results have shown that it does. It does improve the immune system because immunity is immunity. Once you get something, you should be immune to it and not get it again. That being said, we got to remember that a lot of the common illnesses are viral, and viruses in nature tend to mutate, which is why we get the colds all the time. That being said, the child will less likely have sick days in elementary school if they’re exposed to these things in day care.
Melanie: Absolutely. Now, what would you like parents to know? What should we do as parents to hopefully prevent our children from getting sick? You mentioned hand washing, and while sanitizer is good -- do we send them with a little sanitizer or we just make sure they wash their hands 10 times a day?
Dr. Celkis: I would just make sure that they wash their hands before they eat and after they go potty. I am not a big advocate of having to wash your hands 20 to 50 times a day just to get the germs off. If they get sick, the body will take care of it, and for the most part, they do okay and now they have that immunity. So we don’t want to put them in a bubble. That being said, like I said, I’m a mom as well and I know the sleepless nights and how much we suffer when they suffer. We don’t want to get them sick just to get them sick, either. So, just good common sense prevention. Wash your hands after the bathroom, wash your hands before you eat, and that’s about all I would recommend.
Melanie: Dr. Celkis, what about disinfecting our surfaces? There are so many anti-bacterial wipes and sprays. Do we keep our house sprayed down, or is it sometimes good for kids to eat a little dirt?
Dr. Celkis: Sometimes it is good for kids to eat a little dirt as long as they have their tetanus shot. But yeah, it’s important to clean our house. But it just depends what we’re doing. If we’re working, of course, the kitchen, I would sanitize it. There’s raw meat. We don’t need to give them a bacteria or salmonella or anything. But we just don’t have to go overboard. The body does an amazing job in taking care of itself, and our immune system is wonderful. We just don’t have to be paranoid. Just use common sense. If there’s raw meat, if there’s blood, by all means, please use sanitizer and anti-bacterial. Other than that, just keep a nice house.
Melanie: Okay, this is an important question, Dr. Celkis, and one every parent asks themselves. When do we keep our child home from day care and/or school? If a stuffy, sniffling nose, or a cough, a fever, what is it that would keep our children at home?
Dr. Celkis: If your child has a fever, absolutely keep them home because they are contagious. If they have a little bit of the sniffles, a little bit of a cough, talk to the child about coughing into your arm to try to prevent the spread of that illness. I won’t necessarily say they have to stay home. But a fever is an absolute has to stay home.
Melanie: What about if they’re suffering from diarrhea or something? Is that a stay home, or…?
Dr. Celkis: Mm-hmm.
Melanie: We know vomiting, we’re not going to send a child that’s vomiting. What if they’re sneezing and coughing? Because coughing is a tough one.
Dr. Celkis: Yeah, coughing is okay. I think it just depends how bad the cough is. If the child can still function, like there’s no fever, they’re coughing and they’re acting normal, it’s okay to go to day care. If it wears them down that they can’t really participate in the day care activities, then I will keep them home.
Melanie: In just the last minute or so, Dr. Celkis, give us your very best advice for what we’re supposed to do as parents to keep our children safe and free from illnesses at day care.
Dr. Celkis: Well, the best advice I would have for parents is just to make sure the kid washes their hands before eating and after going to the bathroom. Please don’t send them to day care if they have a fever. If at any point there’s any question, by all means, please take them to their doctor. That’s what we’re here for. We all have families and kids and we care for them. Even if it just is a 5-, 10-minute visit, and we say, “Hey, the child looks okay,” at least you know and you have that peace of mind.
Melanie: Thank you so much, Dr. Maried Celkis. It’s great information. You’re listening to the WELLcast with Allina Health. For more information, you can go to allinahealth.org. That’s allinahealth.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening and have a great day.
Melanie Cole (Host): Even at the cleanest day care centers, germs are a given. My guest today is Dr. Maried Celkis. She’s a family medicine physician with Allina Health Oakdale Clinic, and she’s here to provide us with some tips on how to care for some of the most contagious day care illnesses and what we as parents can do to help keep our children from getting sick. Welcome to the show, Dr. Celkis. Are kids who attend day care and preschools more prone to infection than kids who do not?
Dr. Maried Celkis (Guest): Absolutely. I think it’s just because of the exposure that they have. More kids, more germs, more chances of getting sick.
Melanie: Okay, so when we think of day care and some of the worst ones—pink eye and yikes, croup—and that’s why I don’t like to take my kids to the big ball pit -- you know, we call that ball pink eye. Tell us a little bit about some of those most common day care illnesses and what you want parents to know about them.
Dr. Celkis: There’s many, many common day care illnesses. I think just thinking about the most contagious ones, you think about just the common cold. Your child’s going to present with maybe a fever, a runny nose, cough, and as a mom of a toddler, I know a cough is the worst thing ever. That’s the most common symptoms for a cold. Pink eye is very contagious. The eyes can get red. They don’t necessarily have to, but the mattiness—they get matted shut in the morning—that’s the one that I want parents to note. Take your kids to the doctor. It’s probably going to be viral, but they may still get an antibiotic drop just because after 24 hours of being on the drop, then they can go back to day care and they’re not contagious anymore. Those are the ones that I’ve seen actually recently.
Melanie: Well, I think you bring up a great point. When do we as parents watch and wait? When do we say we don’t need an antibiotic? Because I’m sure as a physician, you are seeing parents come in and say right away they need an antibiotic even if it’s a virus. How do we know the difference between a virus and a bacteria?
Dr. Celkis: You know, that’s a good question, and it’s kind of hard. Unfortunately, one of the big answers is going to be time. We know that a common cold is going to last about a week and we know that it should be getting better with time. Even if some of the symptoms still last longer than a week, meaning, a runny rose or just a cough, but the child, they should be feeling better and you should see that improvement. If we don’t see improvement in about a week, then that’s when I start thinking, “Could this be something bacterial?” A common question that I get from parents is, “I think they have strep throat.” We need to remember that usually, strep throat does not present with a cough. A lot of the times parents come in saying, “My child has a sore throat, fever, and a cough. Therefore, it’s strep throat.” A lot of the time, it’s just a viral illness.
Melanie: When we think about things like stomach flu -- because you can get that just from somebody not washing their hands. And they’re at day care. It’s going to be a stomach flu extravaganza there. What is stomach flu different than actual flu influenza which we might get our children vaccinated for?
Dr. Celkis: Yeah, that’s a good question because that’s a common misconception. We call it the common stomach flu, but it’s not like the influenza. When you think about the influenza or just the flu, that is high fevers, sneezing, body aches. That’s also very contagious. We try to vaccinate everybody because it’s one of the most common preventable if we vaccinate adults, elderly kids. The stomach flu has a completely different gamut of symptoms. It’s stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and you are so right, it is oh so contagious. I would recommend that if someone in the household has the stomach flu, clean the bathrooms, everything the child touches. Make sure that you wash the child’s hands—kids don’t do a great job at washing their hands. Use soap and water. Hand sanitizer is great for everything, but soap and water is great for the stomach flu.
Melanie: What do we do? Getting these germs at a young age, exposing these children, does that strengthen their immune system for later?
Dr. Celkis: There’s been many studies done in that same question, and the results have shown that it does. It does improve the immune system because immunity is immunity. Once you get something, you should be immune to it and not get it again. That being said, we got to remember that a lot of the common illnesses are viral, and viruses in nature tend to mutate, which is why we get the colds all the time. That being said, the child will less likely have sick days in elementary school if they’re exposed to these things in day care.
Melanie: Absolutely. Now, what would you like parents to know? What should we do as parents to hopefully prevent our children from getting sick? You mentioned hand washing, and while sanitizer is good -- do we send them with a little sanitizer or we just make sure they wash their hands 10 times a day?
Dr. Celkis: I would just make sure that they wash their hands before they eat and after they go potty. I am not a big advocate of having to wash your hands 20 to 50 times a day just to get the germs off. If they get sick, the body will take care of it, and for the most part, they do okay and now they have that immunity. So we don’t want to put them in a bubble. That being said, like I said, I’m a mom as well and I know the sleepless nights and how much we suffer when they suffer. We don’t want to get them sick just to get them sick, either. So, just good common sense prevention. Wash your hands after the bathroom, wash your hands before you eat, and that’s about all I would recommend.
Melanie: Dr. Celkis, what about disinfecting our surfaces? There are so many anti-bacterial wipes and sprays. Do we keep our house sprayed down, or is it sometimes good for kids to eat a little dirt?
Dr. Celkis: Sometimes it is good for kids to eat a little dirt as long as they have their tetanus shot. But yeah, it’s important to clean our house. But it just depends what we’re doing. If we’re working, of course, the kitchen, I would sanitize it. There’s raw meat. We don’t need to give them a bacteria or salmonella or anything. But we just don’t have to go overboard. The body does an amazing job in taking care of itself, and our immune system is wonderful. We just don’t have to be paranoid. Just use common sense. If there’s raw meat, if there’s blood, by all means, please use sanitizer and anti-bacterial. Other than that, just keep a nice house.
Melanie: Okay, this is an important question, Dr. Celkis, and one every parent asks themselves. When do we keep our child home from day care and/or school? If a stuffy, sniffling nose, or a cough, a fever, what is it that would keep our children at home?
Dr. Celkis: If your child has a fever, absolutely keep them home because they are contagious. If they have a little bit of the sniffles, a little bit of a cough, talk to the child about coughing into your arm to try to prevent the spread of that illness. I won’t necessarily say they have to stay home. But a fever is an absolute has to stay home.
Melanie: What about if they’re suffering from diarrhea or something? Is that a stay home, or…?
Dr. Celkis: Mm-hmm.
Melanie: We know vomiting, we’re not going to send a child that’s vomiting. What if they’re sneezing and coughing? Because coughing is a tough one.
Dr. Celkis: Yeah, coughing is okay. I think it just depends how bad the cough is. If the child can still function, like there’s no fever, they’re coughing and they’re acting normal, it’s okay to go to day care. If it wears them down that they can’t really participate in the day care activities, then I will keep them home.
Melanie: In just the last minute or so, Dr. Celkis, give us your very best advice for what we’re supposed to do as parents to keep our children safe and free from illnesses at day care.
Dr. Celkis: Well, the best advice I would have for parents is just to make sure the kid washes their hands before eating and after going to the bathroom. Please don’t send them to day care if they have a fever. If at any point there’s any question, by all means, please take them to their doctor. That’s what we’re here for. We all have families and kids and we care for them. Even if it just is a 5-, 10-minute visit, and we say, “Hey, the child looks okay,” at least you know and you have that peace of mind.
Melanie: Thank you so much, Dr. Maried Celkis. It’s great information. You’re listening to the WELLcast with Allina Health. For more information, you can go to allinahealth.org. That’s allinahealth.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening and have a great day.