The decrease in the incidence of Covid-19 in recent months means that the start of the new school year is viewed with some optimism.
A few days ago the Ministry of Health it lifted all the restrictions that still weighed on schools. So, after 2 years, going back to school is also back to normal.
“After a year of uncertainty due to Covid-19, in which families, teachers and school employees have made a great effort, we are facing a new course with many doubts & rdquor ;. The second vice president of the ASpanish Association of Primary Care Pediatrics (AEPap)Dr. Teresa Cenarro, thus summarizes the consultations that some families send in the days before the back to the classroomin which it will be the first course without specific anti-covid measures.
“The incidence of Covid-19 is on the decline, but we do not know what will happen when the cold returns, to which is added the information about new emerging viruses and epidemic outbreaks, such as that of monkeypox, which has spread rapidly. for Europe. This increases uncertainty & rdquor ;, says the third vice president of AEPap, Dr. Gorrotxategi.
Given this situation, AEPap has agreed on a series of recommendations for families to face this 2022-2023 academic year with a little less uncertainty.
General protection measures in the new normality
The decrease in the incidence of Covid-19 in recent months means that the start of the new school year is viewed with some optimism. But the cold, the increase in social interactions and indoor activities are situations that will facilitate not only the spread of Covid-19 but also other respiratory-transmitted infections.
“After a relaxation of the anti-Covid measures in the summer, in the new school year, no special protection measure seems necessary in schools & rdquor ;, explains Dr. Gorrotxategi.
“Although masks, safety distance, mobility restrictions, etc., have contributed to reducing the incidence of infectious and contagious diseases, they do not seem necessary at the present time & rdquor ;, he comments.
However, they are “general protection measures, for Covid-19 and other infections & rdquor ;.
The precautions recommended by pediatricians to avoid the spread of any type of respiratory virus are the following:
• Continue with hand washing, either with hydroalcoholic gel or with soap and water.
• Continue with what was known as ‘respiratory hygiene’ during the pandemic, that is, cover the mouth with disposable tissues, or with the elbow, when coughing and sneezing. This is the best way to prevent the hands from being a vehicle for transmitting infections.
• Carry out activities outside when weather conditions allow it.
• Adequate ventilation of interiors in educational centers.
• It is recommended that sick minors, for example, if they had a fever the night or the day before, do not come to school until the symptoms disappear.
• Children six years of age or older with mild cold symptoms can wear a face mask for a few days, until their symptoms improve. Not only at school, but also in other areas. In this way, the protection of the grandparents, who so often take care of them, and other especially vulnerable people will be ensured.
• The AEPap, as a general recommendation against infections, supports breastfeeding and not consuming tobacco in homes with children.
• And of course, keep the vaccination schedule up to date.
Main infections in the school environment
Although everything revolves around the coronavirus, Primary Care pediatricians remember that the school can be a scene of contagion of other common infections.
“In the first years of schooling, children frequently suffer from other infections such as conjunctivitis, colds, bronchiolitisflu and acute gastroenteritis & rdquor ;, explains Dr. Cenarro.
“Bronchiolitis affects three out of four children under two years of age. Rotavirus gastroenteritis also affects, above all, younger children. Both diseases occur, in general, between the months of October and February & rdquor ;, comments the pediatrician.
Faced with this situation, like every beginning of the course, pediatricians recommend keeping the vaccination schedule up to date, with all the immunizations recommended by pediatricians for children and other family members.
“Rotavirus vaccinations (for infants under six months) and influenza (from six months of age) are included in the official immunization schedules only for some children at higher risk; that of the rotavirus, for those born prematurely and that of the flu for those who suffer from other risk diseases (cardiopathies, immunosuppression, etc.). But both vaccines can be used in all children, at the corresponding age of each, to improve natural protection against these infections & rdquor ;, says Dr. Hernández-Merino, AEPap spokesman on vaccines and advisor to the Vaccines Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP).
Dr. Gorrotxategi recalls that the pandemic “has produced a drop in childhood vaccinations and, therefore, diseases that have been rare for a few decades could return. This is the case of measles, which can have serious consequences, or even polio, a terrible disease that causes death and paralysis that, as has been seen in London and New York, if vaccination is neglected, can even reappear in Western countries & rdquor; .
The risk of monkeypox is very low in schools
This beginning of the course, another emerging virus has grabbed headlines, that of monkeypox. “The word ‘smallpox’ takes us back to the 17th century when it spread throughout Europe, with a mortality of close to 25%, causing the deaths of thousands of children. The monkey pox has been present in Africa for decades. This year, unexpectedly, the disease has spread throughout much of Europe. However, while on the African continent, traditionally, it has been associated with significant mortality and increased risk in children, in Europe it is showing much lower mortality at all ages and in which children are hardly affected & rdquor ;, explains Dr. Gorrotxategi.
“The vast majority of cases are mild and need only general care and isolation to avoid prolonged direct contact, which facilitates transmission to other people,” he adds.
The risk of monkeypox in schools is “really very low,” he says. The main transmission mechanism is very close and prolonged skin-to-skin contact, which makes transmission in the school unlikely.
“The isolation of the sick in their homes, until the symptoms disappear, is the necessary measure, and that makes the activity in schools not a special risk environment for this disease. It should not be a major concern in schools & rdquor ;, she concludes.
Finally, AEPap encourages families and children to look forward to the start of the new school year. “The activity of schools, learning and interaction with other children and the educational community, physical activity and sports, together with the return to family routines, can be a source of growth and happiness for children & rdquor ;, says Dr. Cenarro.