Efforts to prevent illness in kindergartens

A non-government organization affiliated to the All-China Women’s Federation launched a program on Wednesday to stop diseases transmitted between children in kindergartens.

Children are more vulnerable to diseases in spring.

The organization, which aims to improve the well-being of children, women, seniors and other groups of vulnerable people, will give lectures, distribute pamphlets and medical kits to doctors in kindergartens and parents of young children in Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. Their efforts will help to educate people about the best ways to prevent the spread of diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease, chicken pox and digestive tract infections as the weather warms.

The program is expected to reach 300,000 kindergarten students, their parents and teachers.

Zhang Juan, a doctor specializing in maternal and child healthcare, said kindergartens should regularly check children’s health and help them with their personal hygiene, such as making sure they wash their hands after they enter the kindergarten. Children with infectious diseases should be sent home and only permitted to return after they are better.