FORT LEE, Va. (Sept. 1, 2016) -- School is a great place for kids to learn and grow. Unfortunately, it also is a place where youngsters can pick up germs and illnesses and potentially bring them home.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 percent of children ages 5-17 miss three or more days of school annually due to illness or injury. More than 22 million school days were lost due to the common cold alone. The good news is there are things parents can do to decrease their child's risk of getting sick from colds and other infections at school.

First, support a child's immune system with a healthy diet. A balanced diet with five servings of fruits and vegetables daily with healthy, protein-rich snacks can help keep a child's immune system strong.

Teach kids good habits while at school. Discourage sharing cups and utensils. And although this may be difficult with younger children, teach them to avoid touching their face and eyes throughout the day.

Make sure the child gets a good night's sleep. Avoid lots of activity right before bed. A good night's sleep will not only help with overall health, it will improve school performance and behavior. Encourage good hand-washing after using the bathroom, before eating and after blowing noses.

Parents get your child a flu shot. More than 38 million school days are lost each year because of the flu. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children ages six months and older get immunized as soon as the vaccine is available. Talk to your provider about chronic conditions that may prohibit your child from receiving the flu vaccine.

Make sure your family's vaccines are up to date. Vaccine preventable diseases like measles are being detected more often among non-immunized and under-immunized children and adults.

If a child does develop an illness, parents should be considerate of other children and keep their kids at home. It can be hard to know when to keep a child home and when to send them to school. This is especially true for working parents.

A child with mild cold symptoms to include cough and runny nose is typically fine to attend school. However, parents can help protect other children by teaching their kids to cover their nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing and sneezing. The tissue should be thrown away immediately after use and the child should wash his or her hands or use hand sanitizer if available.

If no tissues are available, they can cough or sneeze into their arm. If congestion and coughing has significantly affected a child's sleep, it may be a good idea to keep the individual at home.

Consider keeping a child home if he or she can't comfortably participate in school, are having significant pain or did not sleep well the night before.

For any fever 100.4 F or higher, a child should remain home until fever-free for 24 hours. Be sure to keep a working thermometer in your home medicine cabinet.

Vomiting and diarrhea could be a sign of infection. School-aged children who experienced two or more vomiting or diarrheal episodes in 24 hours, should be kept at home.

If you suspect your child has pinkeye, lice, scabies, chicken pox or other rash caused by an infection, it's best to have the child evaluated and treated before sending them to school.

The staff at Wilkerson Pediatric Clinic wants Fort Lee children to be healthy and have a successful school year. Call the Nurse Line at (804) 734-9153 with any questions or concerns.

Appointments can be made by calling the appointment line at 1-866-533-5242. After hours and on weekends, call the Nurse Advice Line at 1-800-TRICARE, and choose option 1.