Since COVID-19 first emerged, the youngest among us have been suspected to be super-spreaders of the disease. But now it is becoming clear that children in kindergartens and nurseries do not spread Coronavirus as excessively as expected, thanks to several studies on the subject. Nevertheless, it is still important to keep an eye on the well-being of our little ones - especially during the colder autumn and winter months.
Children under suspicion of being super-spreaders
The assumption that younger children could spread the coronavirus more than others led to kindergarten and nursery closures throughout Europe at the beginning of the year. Nursery school children were considered to be likely to be super-spreaders. But what does that mean? In epidemiology, the term "super-spreader" refers to a person infected with a disease that infects a larger number of other people than others do. For example, because they exhale or cough up more infectious material than other people.
Since then, several studies have freed the youngest among us from the unpleasant mark of being considered super-spreaders. One of them is the Corona School Study (BECOSS), which says that in a study of around 700 participants, including children, their relatives and nursery staff, no infection with Coronavirus has been detected so far. The result is based on recent tests, which were collected and evaluated during September and October.
Parents are more likely to infect their children
Data from a second study conducted several weeks ago by the university hospitals of Heidelberg, Ulm, Freiburg and Tübingen also suggest that children of nursery-school age were wrongly treated as infection drivers and super-spreaders at the beginning of the pandemic. In the survey, 2,500 children between one and ten years of age along with one of their parents were examined for current infection with Coronavirus, or antibodies from past infection.
The result is very surprising. It was shown that in comparison to the children, more than twice as many adults already had antibodies. In fact, the higher risk of infection seems to come from adults and not from children.
How we can now protect our youngest
"The results seem to show that children are fortunately not the drivers of the Coronavirus pandemic", says Sven Jäschke, Country Manager Nordic, Central & Europe at GOJO Industries. "Nevertheless, especially during the infection period in autumn and winter, we must ensure that our children continue to remain as safe as possible during this crisis. Good hygiene in kindergartens still is crucial for this. Regular hand washing effectively breaks the transmission of germs. In order to support kindergartens in hygiene education, we have developed special materials for proper hand washing".
With pictograms, they can explain even the youngest children what is important when washing the hands:
- Hold hands under running water
- Use soap
- Wet the palms of your hands intensively with foam- Rub hands together and we apply soap to all areas
- Rinse hands to remove all soap residues and
- Dry your hands carefully
A playful access to hand cleanliness
Children can also learn everything about hand cleanliness by playing. Our game "Hand Wash Squad" can be used already from kindergarten age and teaches children how to wash their hands properly. Parents can use it at home as a supplement to the hygiene education in kindergarten.
"With these simple measures, we can all help to ensure that our youngest children continue to get through these challenging times well. Especially in the cold months, when numerous pathogens are in circulation, it is important to be well prepared," says Sven Jäschke.
Stay healthy!
