It’s Back-to-School time! August usually means you are fighting traffic in WalMart trying to school supplies and your Facebook feed is full of cute “back-to-school” photos. Guilty! While parents are prepping their kids for school don’t forget to talk about germs.
Kids are so sweet, aren’t they? They want to share their Capris Sun with their friend. They chew on their pencils, on their hair, they accidentally touch the water fountain with their mouth. They get candy necklaces and share.
Teenagers are more aware of germs but during their “experimenting” they swap saliva with their boyfriends and girlfriends and post it on Instagram…. And how many times do they break up and get a new one? Hashtag Germ Spreader. That’s a lot of sick days, too.
Here are 6 contagious illnesses that start in the mouth:
- Mononucleosis (Mono) – this is the “kissing disease” because it is very popular among teenagers. “Mono” will leave you weak and tired for months.
- Streptococcus (Strep Throat) – 11 million people contract this disease a year – mostly kids!
- Cold Sores – Once a cold sore has been contracted the bacteria will always exist on the person. Absolutely do not drink or eat or kiss anyone with a cold sore. (Feel a cold sore coming on? There’s a cure for that)
- HIV/Hepatititis B – okay, maybe this isn’t to prevalent in children but it can be contracted through saliva.
- Human Papillomavirus (HPV) – HPV is very common in teenage girls because it is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that can be contracted through oral sex. Once contracted HPV is the leading cause of Oral Cancer.
- Hand, Food & Mouth Disease (HFMD) – mostly common in babies and toddlers. Commonly contracted at daycare centers or anywhere where diapers are often changed.
Avoid these illness by education your kids on how germs spread! Not sure how? Here’s a cool experiment you can try!