Your child is a reservoir of respiratory bugs, learn how to minimise harm

Your child is a reservoir of respiratory bugs, learn how to minimise harm (Photo: iStock)

A typical household is likely to have small children at some point. And the children will inevitably end up interacting with lots of other children in playgroups, kindergartens and eventually in schools and colleges. Large gatherings of young children tend to be a reservoir for a multitude of bugs, with the inevitable consequential spread to others, including household members.

The suspicion that kids spread most respiratory bugs has recently been amplified by a recent study. Researchers followed more than 800 students in large public schools, aiming to track the presence of viruses and the frequency of illnesses over time. More than 85 per cent of the participants had at least one virus detected, and over 80 per cent experienced at least one episode of acute respiratory illness. Young children were the most affected, many testing positive even when they felt well.