Back to school Mythbuster Monday

John E. Moore, MD, FAAP Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Virginia Tech-Carilion School of Medicine sorts out back to school myths for us:

Myth:

Anti-bacterial hand gel Is a good thing to send your child to school with

True. 

 Families who use anti-bacterial hand gels tend to pass illness around to each other a whole lot less frequently than people who don't use hand gels.  I do recommend them.

Myth:

Colds cause ear infections

False.

Colds are viral and, while viruses do cause inflammation which can lead to a secondary bacterial ear or sinus infection, they do not generally cause ear infections themselves.

Myth:

Greenish mucus means your child has something worse than a cold

False.

The greenish color in mucus means inflammation only. That can come form a sinus infection but is more likely to be viral or even allergic. (6) A little true. We do tend to overuse hand sanitizers but studies do show that families that use sanitizers tend to pass germs to each other a lot less frequently.

Myth:

You can get out of your required school vaccinations if you do not want them. 

False.

  While you can file a religious exemption, the laws are strict. You need vaccinations to enter kindergarten and 6th grade.