Patients have called, community members have sent e-mails asking my opinion about the dangers of sending kids to camp amid the fear of swine flu.
Here’s what we all need to know about the topic and how the information will help you make safe, sound and fearless decisions.
Swine Flu caused by H1N1 virus is a mild flu with a name.
Regular flu kills up to 30,000 people a year. In the case of swine flu, 170 people have died in the US and approximately 300 globally. This is not a virulent flu. For those who have lost loved ones, statistics are meaningless and will never make things better. Statistics are useless when we are looking at each and every one of us as individuals. Do not use statistics when making health decisions. They only serve to scare us and most likely do not apply to the individual. The goal is to do everything we can to stay healthy and help raise healthy children.
Regardless of year, every time you send your kid to camp or any group activity that involves sleeping in close quarters away from home, the child will be exposed to many contagious agents. No matter how well protected, close living quarters cannot maintain the same levels of sanitation as individual living arrangements. Small children living in the woods with lots of physical activity, water sports, heat and sun are higher sources of risk then sitting locked up in an air conditioned room. Forget the risk being lower, the lack of fun alone is a killer. If you can afford to send the children to camp to have fun and share summer time with their friends, there is no need to start worrying now. It may be the appropriate time to focus on prevention and information.
For years, I used to be camp physician at my youngest daughter’s camp. It was the only way I could spend time near my child without appearing too clingy a parent.
The camp had an infirmary and two nurses. As part of my job, I had to make rounds on a group of three camps every day (you can be sure my daughter’s camp got me there more than once a day….).
When a child came down with a cold, a sore throat or a fever, the child was immediately isolated. That was why there was an infirmary. Once, the kids got lice and the nurses scrubbed their hair and made sure the lice was gone before returning them to their bunks. That was a big emergency.
I did send a few kids home in my three years as camp doctor, but it was never for a serious contagious illness. We taught the kids to wash their faces and hands every morning, to take a shower every day, to brush their teeth after every meal and to wash their hands before each meal and after going to the bathroom. We taught kids to never drink from each other’s glass or cup. We taught them to go to sleep early and get up early. We did not have Swine flu then, we just practiced prevention.
How can you protect your children and still let them enjoy the summer?
Do your homework and make sure the camp is clean and safe. No need to overdo hygiene, just clean water and plenty of soap will do. No need to disinfect every door knob.
Healthy kids are not bacteria or viruses, They don’t need disinfecting. Send your kids to camp when they are old enough to enjoy it. Sending kids to camp should not be your way of getting rid of the kid for the summer. Keep in mind camps are for the benefit of kids.
Make sure the camp feeds your kids healthy fresh foods. Stay away from camps that are junk food friendly. In my experience the camps with the healthiest fresh food are usually the ones with the healthiest kids.
Do not scare your kid. Tell her/him the swine flu is just the name for this season’s flu. Make sure the infirmary at camp is focused on helping kids feel better and has enough beds and lots of love.
Then, make sure your kid is healthy and excited to go to camp. If he is well and sees you excited about his camp experience, send him to camp with a smile. This is just another summer and fun and learning good things is what childhood is about. Forget about the swine flu!
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