Journal of School Nursing Says Infection Control is Key to Maintaining School Attendance; Over 100 Million Days Lost Every Year Due to Illness.
Business Editors
WAYNE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 18, 2002
Just in time for back-to-school - and cold - season, a supplement published in the October, 2002 Journal of School Nursing affirms that infection control programs in schools can help keep kids healthy, thereby boosting attendance.
With children in grades K-12 losing over 100 million illness-related school days each year, parents, teachers and school administrators can use this information to reduce the educational, administrative and economic problems associated with missed school days.
The Journal of School Nursing supplement, developed as a result of the "LYSOL(R) Healthy School Summit" which convened last year, reveals that 83 percent of educators believe that low attendance due to illness is their biggest obstacle in teaching. Summit participants, who are experts in the fields of infectious disease, primary care, school nursing and the household/institutional cleaning industry, concluded that an infection control program run by the school nurse and supported at home significantly improves the continuity of learning and reduces the financial burden of sick children on the school and on working parents.
"Beginning this fall, almost 22 million school days will be lost due to the common cold alone," says Joseph Rubino, Director of Scientific Support Services at Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of LYSOL(R) Brand products. "We hope that the results of the summit will help educate both school officials and parents on how to significantly reduce that number through proper infection control."
The summit experts concurred that the school nurse is in the best position to establish and maintain an effective infection control program. At the foundation is proper hand washing, which is highly effective in decreasing the spread of germs through hand-to-hand and surface-to-hand contact. To achieve the best results, hand washing should be supplemented with use of an EPA-registered disinfectant, such as a LYSOL Brand product, on commonly touched surfaces in the classroom and at home, including desks, computers, door handles and telephones.
For more than 100 years, the LYSOL Brand has set the gold standard in scientific research for home health. Since the introduction of the first LYSOL Brand disinfectant in 1889 to help prevent the spread of cholera in Europe, the Brand's research has produced numerous innovative and user-friendly disinfectant products for home and professional use. LYSOL Brand products are manufactured and marketed by Reckitt Benckiser, the world's leading household cleaning products company. Reckitt Benckiser's North American headquarters are located in Wayne, NJ.
For materials, tips and techniques to help stop the transmission of illness-causing germs both at school and at home, call 1-800-99LYSOL.
