Keeping school germs from coming home with your kids

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Now that kids are back in school, parents may have noticed more signs of germs spreading around - maybe your kids caught a cold or picked up a stomach virus.

The best way to keep them healthy is to encourage good hand-washing. Make sure your kids wash their hands thoroughly and frequently throughout the day, especially before eating and after using the restroom.

Health habits should also be top of mind. Being well-rested, eating a healthy diet and lowering stress can put your body in a better position to fight off illness.

Of course, if someone is sick, they should stay home and away from others.

"If they have an active fever, they should stay home. If they're showing any symptoms of upset stomach, vomiting or diarrhea, they should not be going to school. If they're not able to function properly - they're very lethargic, theyre very tired, theyre not going to do well at school and they're probably still infected," said Dr. Dan Allan from the Cleveland Clinic.

And the same goes for adults. If you are sick, take time off from work and don't travel so you don't get other people sick.

Of course, a flu shot is also recommended for everyone older than 6 months old.

And one more thing you can do to keep your family healthy is to disinfect common surfaces, especially after someone has been sick. You want to use a bleach-based solution to kill the germs.

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