Gastroenteritis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis and every other kind of "itis" are among the stubborn seasonal sicknesses that nest in the stomachs, lungs and sinuses of many children and adults across The T&D Region.

High fever, sore throat, dry cough, extreme tiredness and head and muscle aches are among the symptoms individuals experience from flu, colds, stomach viruses and other infections. Practicing frequent and proper hand-washing techniques, getting plenty of rest, eating a balanced diet and staying home when you are sick, however, are among the common-sense practices that local health officials say will help keep you bug-free.

<b>'Hand washing is essential'</b>

"A good bit more of the colds are starting to flare back up. We're seeing the last of the tummy viruses, or gastroenteritis. We're getting into the respiratory season as the tummy viruses fade out," said Dr. Beverley Wilson of Orangeburg's Wilson Pediatrics in The Village Park.

Tonsillitis and pharyngitis are among the respiratory-related ailments that Wilson sees, but she said the nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite and diarrhea without vomiting that comes with gastroenteritis haven't completely gone.

"Hand washing is essential as children share more items in school. Anytime they're in a group setting, you have a greater chance that someone is going to be ill ... and share that illness," she said. "If a child ... has a temperature of more than 100 degrees, the day care needs to be n.jpgied, and the child needs to be kept at home."

She said day care centers particularly need to thoroughly wash toys shared among children, make sure utensils are not shared, and encourage hand washing after noses are blown to help offset the spread of germs.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that all infants and children should be closely observed for symptoms of respiratory illness. Parents should be n.jpgied if a child develops a fever (100 degrees or higher under the arm, 101 degrees orally, or 102 degrees rectally).

While a child's own immunity may eradicate a low-grade fever, a physician needs to be called if the fever rises to see if the child has a simple cold, a cold with a sinus infection, etc., Wilson said.

The CDC also reports that the common cold, flu and several gastrointestinal disorders such as infectious diarrhea are commonly spread through hand-to-hand contact. The flu is much more serious than a cold, with some people, particularly adults and people with chronic medical problems, developing pneumonia.

The combination of the flu and pneumonia, in fact, is the seventh leading cause of death among Americans, the clinic reports.

Inadequate hand hygiene also contributes to food-related illnesses such as salmonella and E. coli infection, with as many as 76 million Americans contracting a food-borne illness each year. While approximately 5,000 die as a result of their illness, others experience nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the CDC reports.

Wilson said proper hygiene is not the only way to help ward off  "miniature epidemics."

"Proper diet and rest is a big factor. What a lot of people don't recognize is your immunity is very sensitive to your annual intake of food and rest," she said, noting that taking vitamin supplements is the absence of a "truly balanced diet" can also be helpful.

<b>'Prevention is the main key'</b>

"We encourage children to focus on nutrition to keep their immune systems up, getting plenty of rest, hand washing and covering their mouths when sneezing. Prevention is the main key that we focus on," said Lynn Button, nursing services coordinator for Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5.

"We see a lot of colds. With the change of seasons, we also see allergies, which a lot of times affects people's immune symptoms," she said. "But the colds and flus are the normal things we expect to see. We have the school nurses be consultants and liaisons between parents and community partners that help with controlling these kinds of ailments such as DHEC, which provides us with the School Exclusion List."

The state DHEC provides both a School Exclusion List, which applies to children in grades 1 through 12 who have not been ide.jpgied as medically fragile, as well as a Childcare Exclusion List, which applies to children in out-of-home child care, including after-school care, children in 3-, 4- or 5-year-old kindergarten, students in grades 1 through 12 who schools have ide.jpgied as medically fragile and employees working in out-of-home child care.

"Clean Up the Classroom!" is an education program formed through a partnership between The Clorox Co. and the Discovery Education program. The free science curriculum helps students learn about the bacterial causes and consequences, viruses and allergens and provides tips and hints for prevention and controlling exposure to them.

"That's just an example of many programs that nurses introduce to teachers to control illness in the classroom," Button said. "Nurses also try to stay abreast of what's new out there, including in the alternative medicine department. One herbal medicine does affect the duration of a cold and builds the immune system ... along with plenty of rest and eating correctly.

<b>"Hand washing is a biggie, but that's not the only thing we can do."</b>

Ashlyn Gray, a nurse at Sheridan Elementary School in OCSD 5, said there hasn't been an outbreak of stomach virus so far this year.

"We've had a few with a temperature that I've had to send home one day," she said. "But there's been just a few runny noses and sore throats. We've been lucky so far this year."

Washing hands before and after eating and using the bathroom is stressed among students, Gray said, noting that making sure fingernails are short and clean is also important because "a lot of bacteria is harbored under the fingernail."

Drew Gerald, epidemiologist at the Orangeburg Health Department, said most of his reports come from doctors' offices or nurses who have noticed a high level of absenteeism among children with flu or flu-like illness.

"Rotavirus, or gastrointestinal illness, is very common among children. It's usually characterized by such things as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea," Gerald said, noting that medication does little to help attack the virus, which generally passes on its own within a few days.

"One of the things that we try to stress with parents is that a child should wash their hands for at least 15 to 20 seconds, long enough to sing the 'Happy Birthday' song once, possibly twice," he said. "Also, if they have a fever, rash, diarrhea, or are nauseous and vomiting, you want to keep them home. They pose a risk to other children, and we want our teachers and school nurses to be aware of that."

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5534. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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