My daughter has a cold (runny nose, bad cough) but feels ok. Is there a medical reason I shouldn't take her to her regular swimming class?

Yes. The other kids and perhaps teacher may catch her cold. A stiff upper lip is fine for some things but it is a major cause of spreading colds and flu.

I have two children who are/were competitive swimmers. My oldest swims at the college level. The kids swim through almost anything, as they are hesitant to break training.

They infect each other in the process, however. Please be considerate, and keep your daughter home. You also can't be sure she just has a cold--so she could pass on something worse to the other swimmers.

Ask the swim director! I wouldn't but....... check!

The below is a quote from the US MASTERS Swimming website forum 'My doctor once told me that if a person is afebrile and just congested above the neck its okay to continue your workouts, just try to get more sleep if you can. But if you have any kind of a fever and chest congestion, then its time to back off. ' Afebrile means without fever.

A 2nd post 'I have heard that swimming while having a cold can cause a condition called myocarditis. Before I heard of this, I swam once last march while having a cold. The cold seemed to have receded temporarily and I felt great thinking swimming cured my cold, and I thought this would be what I'd do in future if I had a cold again.

But in the following days the cold progressed into the worst cold I had ever had, I almost suffocated due to the congestion. Used one big box of Kleenex per day. Would never want that happen again.'I agree that myocarditis is the inflamation of the myocardium (the muscular part of the heart).

It is a condition that is driven by an infection (viral or bacterial). If you have the common cold (generally viral) it could very well turn into myocarditis.As much as I wouldn't like to think so, there is evidence that shows 20% of deaths in young adults is due to myocarditis. Now, obviously not all of those are swimmers who are out there practicing with colds, but it is still a relevant concern.

I know that I tell my swimmers not to get in with a cold unless they are on antibiotics that don't have any significant side effects.

You've probably already made your swim class decision by now, but for future reference, here is my *opinion*: There are two major problems with letting your kid go to swim class when she has a known cold 1. She's contagious. And especially if she has a bad cough, she's going to infect every poor kid and adult at that pool.

Have a little compassion for other families and keep her in the house until the symptoms have passed. 2. She needs R-E-S-T!

Rest is the best way to let the body heal and recover. If she's using every last spare ounce of energy her body's making to swim, then she's not using it to fight the cold. She may stay sick longer because of it.

Instead, you should be encouraging her to stay home, rest, and get better so she doesn't have to miss anymore classes than necessary. Good luck!

If she has a chill it is obviously not best. She probably wants to go or you would not be considering this, so you must think then of the other people in the pool/lockeroom/class. If she is ailing she could infect another unintentionally or contract some infection she would not have otherwise because she is in immune stress.

Most science shows that public bathing/swimming facilities are abundant with primarily harmless bacteria, though if one is ill, those go there with them, and then the abundance there is received. Medical reason...well, more biological, but it becomes medical once somebody gets infected.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.