In less than two weeks, Pearl River County students will be heading back to school. For many families, returning to school not only means the return of homework, after school activities and the sound of the school bus coming down the street, it also means germs.

With so many children in a confined space, germs and diseases can spread quickly.

That’s why the state mandates that all public and private school students be properly vaccinated.

Even though those vaccinations don’t include the flu vaccine or a 100 percent guarantee against an illness, they greatly reduce the risk of much more damaging diseases.

Fighting with your child to get them to the doctor or clinic to receive their shots can be a battle, but it’s worth fighting.

By requiring each child to be vaccinated, it helps prevent diseases like mumps, chickenpox and even polio from becoming rampant not only in the school, but also in the community as a whole.

But parents should also be mindful of the other germs their children can carry during the school year.

If one child gets sick, it’s important to take the necessary precautions to prevent their siblings and classmates from suffering the same fate, even if it’s just a common cold.

Other children can be more vulnerable to these illnesses. For some, treatments for a common cold can be much worse than those of a healthy child. 

While it’s important to miss as little school as possible, if a child is contagious they need to stay home and rest, not only so they can recover quickly, but also to prevent spreading.

This will become especially important during flu season.

Keeping students healthy will also keep parents and teachers healthy so that everyone can continue to put their best, and healthiest, foot forward.