Getting your kids ready to start the school year involves more than finding the perfect backpack, buying school supplies, and shopping for new clothes. It means safeguarding their health so they’ll be physically ready for the challenges of heading back to school.

While it may not seem as urgent to many parents, a yearly physical exam by your family's pediatrician is an important part of your child's health care. In addition to having the right school supplies for academic activities, your child needs certain vaccinations, medical tests, and checkups to ensure good health throughout the school year.

Why Kids Need to Go and What Parents Can Learn

A General Health Check up is always a good idea to prevent and catch problems early:

• Respiratory tract diseases include bronchial arthritis, bronchitis, upper/lower respiratory tract infections… sudden onset of fever for several days, sneezing, stuffy nose, watery eyes, sore throat ... If only bacterial infection will go away itself after 4 to 5 days. Patients should be closely monitored to prevent rapid severe pneumonia development.
• Flu: virus spread through the air, or direct contact with a flu patient which cause congestion, runny nose, fever, headache ... If the fever is still high, get medical care right away before it results in Respiratory tract infections and other complications..
• Viral illness: A prominent feature of the disease is a sudden high fever of 39 degrees Celsius. Using Fever Reducers will lower body temperature for some time without helping to treat the disease. Common symptoms include rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and more likely to get acute viral infections. The child usually gets fever for 3-5 days, and then gradually gets better.
• Meningitis: Very dangerous because of symptoms like sore throat, pneumonia, bleeding.... Children may have high fever, runny nose, cough, diarrhea, vomiting ... Early treatment is highlr recommended.
• Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease: August - September is the time for the outbreak of hand-foot and mouth disease in children. Children may have a mild fever, or a high fever of 39-40 ° C, fatigue, poor appetite, sore throat ... and appearance of 2mm infrared pitch, mouth, hands, feet, sometimes in the buttocks foot. If left untreated, the case will become very serious leading to death.
• Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis): Back-to-school season is the signaling symptoms of watery, itchy eyes; sensitivity to light. One or both eyes can be affected. Highly contagious; can be spread by coughing and sneezing. Teach your kids to avoid rubbing or touching your eyes, Never (EVER) share personal items (towels, dresses, pillows ...), and Keep a hand disinfectant (e.g., Purell) handy and use it frequently.
• Gastrointestinal diseases: Table, chalk, rag ... and habitually picking nose, biting nails, hands picking up food ... without washing your hands, which helps virus attack the lining of the GI tract causing pain, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. The habit of eating snacks from vendors in front of the school gate causes food poisoning, gastrointestinal disorders. It's extremely common during the school year.
• Measles, or rubella, is a viral infection of the respiratory system. Measles is a very contagious disease that can spread through contact with infected mucus and saliva. An infected person can release the infection into the air when they cough or sneeze. Symptoms of measles generally appear within 14 days of exposure to the virus. Symptoms include: cough, fever, red eyes, light sensitivity, muscle aches, runny nose, sore throat, white spots inside the mouth. A widespread skin rash is a classic sign of measles which appears as red, itchy bumps, commonly develops on the head and slowly spreads to other parts of the body.

How Parents Can Prepare for Back to School Time?

Back-to-School Vaccines

Getting an accurate schedule and being on track of vaccination are the best way to prevent your child from getting sick. Staying vaccinated is significantly beneficial to your child in a new classroom environment such as mitigating the symptoms of the disease, protecting people around, protecting from diseases. Infectious, help the body against harmful agents,

City International Hospital has a full list of vaccines for children such as prevention of influenza, hepatitis A, HPV...  Check here for more information.

Vision Testing for Refractive Errors

25-40% of children (6-15 years) in urban areas, and 10-15% in rural areas have Refractive Error. This means that about 3 million children with refractive errors need glasses. According to City International Hospital’s Ophthalmologists, there are three types of refractive errors in Children: myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism; in which the most common refractive error in at school age children is myopia. Therefore, children should be examined early to detect refractive errors, adjust the glasses in time. Adjustable eye glasses are better to see, have good eye coordination, avoid eye diseases can occur in the future.

Therefore, parents need to take their children for a Vision Test for Refractive Errors at least every six months. Top eye doctors at City International Hospital will make sure your child is having an appropriate preventive eye checkup, diagnosis and treatment (if needed).

For appointment or more information about City International Hospital,  please contact:

? Address: No.3, 17A street, Binh Tri Dong B Ward, Binh Tan Dictrict (Next to Aeon Mall Binh Tan,) HCM City.

? Hotline: (028) 6280 3333 (ext. 8424 or 8402)

? Website: www.cih.com.vn.