{"id":111884,"date":"2026-01-20T14:23:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:23:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=111884"},"modified":"2026-01-20T14:23:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:23:18","slug":"schools-not-hospitals-keep-sick-children-home-paediatrician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=111884","title":{"rendered":"Schools not hospitals; keep sick children home \u2013 Paediatrician"},"content":{"rendered":"
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President of Pediatric Society of Ghana, Dr. Hilda Mantebea Boye has cautioned parents against sending unwell children to school, warning that the close-contact nature of toddler classrooms makes them high-risk environments for the spread of viral infections such as colds and coughs.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the Joy Super Morning Show <\/strong>on Tuesday, January 20, Dr Mantebea Boye said the school environment, particularly at the early childhood level, is often difficult to manage because children interact closely and are not always under full control.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe school environment is always tricky because you are not always in control,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are many other children who come to school with different infections.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to her, it is common to find several children in the same toddler classroom experiencing similar symptoms at the same time. \u201cIn some of these classes, about three or four children, depending on the total number, may have a cold or cough at a particular time,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

She noted that most of these infections are viral and tend to spread quickly among young children. \u201cOnce it turns out to be viral, it will go round a lot,\u201d she said, adding that preventing close contact among toddlers is often unrealistic. \u201cThe younger they are, the more likely they are to be in each other\u2019s faces all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Mantebea Boye stressed that proper ventilation is key to reducing the spread of infections in classrooms. \u201cWhat will really help this age group is enough ventilation,\u201d she said. \u201cGood ventilation helps to reduce the burden of viruses in the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also highlighted the importance of hygiene and basic courtesy, explaining that \u201cChildren should be taught to wash their hands with soap and water after touching surfaces or the floor,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf possible, teach them that when someone has a cold, they shouldn\u2019t go too close, although this is sometimes difficult with younger children.\u201d<\/p>\n

At home, she encouraged parents to support these efforts. \u201cWhen they return from school, let them wash their hands, change their clothes, and take a bath. That is very helpful,\u201d she advised.<\/p>\n

Dr Mantebea Boye further emphasised the role of nutrition in building children\u2019s immunity. \u201cGood nutrition helps improve their immune system,\u201d she said. \u201cGive them balanced meals and fruits.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noted that many parents are not overly alarmed when their children have colds because such illnesses are usually viral and self-limiting. \u201cMost parents are not worried because it is viral, and these viral infections will take their course,\u201d she explained. \u201cUsually, within two weeks, the cough or cold is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, she strongly urged parents to keep sick children at home to recover fully. \u201cParents should let their children stay at home when they are unwell,\u201d she said. \u201cThe school is not a hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that parents who are busy should make alternative arrangements. \u201cIf parents are busy, they should get help or assistance instead of sending a sick child to school,\u201d Dr Hilda said.<\/p>\n

Her comments come amid ongoing concerns about the frequent spread of viral infections in early childhood classrooms and renewed calls for stronger collaboration between parents and schools to safeguard children\u2019s health.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"SchoolsPresident of Pediatric society of Ghana Dr Hilda Mantebea Boye has cautioned parents against sending unwell children to school, warning that the close-contact nature of toddler classrooms makes them a high-risk environment for the spread of viral infections such as colds and coughs.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15662,491,5182,10,9,2184],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-hilda","category-education","category-parents","category-politics","category-popular","category-school"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=111884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111884\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=111884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=111884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=111884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}