By Patrick Baron

BLOOMINGTON – With how easily young children can catch the flu, parents are being reminded to make sure their kids are practicing healthy hygiene habits.

Schools from Litchfield, south of Springfield, to Chicago have had to close their doors for several days in recent weeks due to so many parents pulling their kids from school because of the flu.

Lisa Slater with the McLean County Health Department said instilling simple hygiene techniques like washing their hands whenever possible can help kids fight off the sickness.

“I know in school you can’t always hop up and go the restroom to do that, so if they can carry hand sanitizer with them and use that frequently throughout the day,” Slater said. “But remembering maybe right before lunch or right before gym period or anytime they have a break, to use the restroom.”

But Slater also said making sure your kids have clean hands isn’t enough to beat the flu. Slater suggested maintaining a clean environment to prevent the flu from spreading around the family. Just make sure you wipe down surfaces that can be touched by kids.

“You also want to clean off touch surfaces like doorknobs and railings, light switches, keyboards, and smart phones – all those types of things,” “You want to clean then down with either a disinfectant wipes or, if it’s a hard surface, use soap and water to wash that off.”

Slater notes even though getting a flu shot may not completely prevent the flu, it does make the symptoms less severe.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].