Research reveals that 66.9% of mothers in Britain are not worried about sending their children to school with a cold.
Worryingly, 35% also believe the myth that it’s a good idea to be exposed to colds as it builds immunity. Surprisingly, 16.7% of parents never send their children to school when they have a cold. And a third of parents stated that their children catch at least 1 cold per month.
The research coincides with the launch of Sneezesafe*, a new free health education programme from KLEENEX® that is based on an interactive website designed for teachers and parents of children aged 4-6 years old. Through fun stories and interactive games, children can learn about good respiratory and tissue habits which will help prevent the spread of colds, flu and other viruses this winter.
The survey, which was conducted amongst 2,300 mothers revealed that 63.4% send their children to school, nursery or a childminder if they are in reasonable spirits and almost half believe it’s part of school life. 55.8% do not believe in apologising if their cold-ridden child comes into contact with another child. With thousands of viruses subtly changing all the time, people’s immune systems cannot develop antibodies against all of them and it is therefore no surprise that schools are a breeding ground for the spread of viruses.
A ‘common’ cold is just that and with so many parents sending their children to school with a cold, it’s important for parents to teach their children how to behave when they have a cold to prevent the spread to other children and family members. Good respiratory hygiene will certainly help prevent the spread of colds and flu viruses both in schools and at home.
Sneezesafe* is in line with NHS recommendations on reducing the spread of viruses such as colds and flu:
1. Use a tissue to blow your nose and to cover coughs and sneezes
2. Throw used tissues in the bin as soon as possible
3. Wash your hands as soon as you can
Sneezesafe*, unsurprisingly, also recommends carrying a pocket pack of KLEENEX® tissues with you. | 
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
