Whilst the sunshine has been wonderful so late in Autumn, we welcomed the rain over the last couple of weeks to our very dry gardens. With it comes the reminder of Winter, and the beginning of flu season.
This year so far, SA Health has recorded over 10 000 cases of flu, compared with just over 1 300 at the same time last year. The flu can be harmful to people in high risk categories, and is an unpleasant illness for anyone.
There are many things we are doing at Flinders to reduce the risk of infection for children, families and educators, most of which are a part of everyday practice, like regular hand washing, washing of resources and surfaces, getting plenty of fresh air and eating healthy foods. At this time of the year we also spend more time explicitly teaching children cold and flu etiquette like sneezing and coughing into a tissue or your elbow, how to safely blow your nose, and washing your hands thoroughly after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.
Many of our educators choose to have the flu vaccine, and Flinders covers part of the cost of this. The South Australian government has decided to fund flu vaccinations for children aged between six months and five years, along with funding vaccines for vulnerable communities. Some more information about the flu vaccine can be found here.
You can find some more information about from SA Health about healthy hand washing here.