Avera Pediatrician Offers Back-to-School Health Tips

It's back-to-school time, and that means for teachers and students alike it's also a time they are more likely to get sick.

That's because once students and teachers start gathering together, schools become a hotbed of germs. But, Avera Pediatrician Dr. Sam Schimelpfenig says there are ways to keep them healthy this year.

"Probably the big thing is hand washing. Hand hygiene goes a long way to slowing down the spread of germs. This means teaching our children to cough or sneeze into their bent elbow instead of the hand. It also means teaching them the importance of hand washing."

So, what can parents do at home that will keep their children health?

"I think in general eating a healthy diet, getting the regular amount of exercise and getting plenty of sleep are beneficial in keeping us healthy. All of those thing just help with the immune system. The better the immune system is---the less likely we're going to get sick. If we do get something, the quicker our system can fight it off."

If children get sick, Dr. Sam urges parents to keep them home so they can recover!