Keeping the children healthy at all times

It is amazing to see that the floods of July shifted the weather from cold and droughty, the typical North-East wind, to dry and just a few days after the scare that some places were about to be submerged in water. But rather than reduce the health challenges of the rainy and wet season, the dry wind, from past experiences, increases the chances of picking up viruses and bacteria by spreading them wider and faster.

You may, therefore, care to keep your young ones healthy at this time by taking these steps we borrowed from somewhere.

Immunization
Immunization protects the child from serious childhood diseases. The child who has been immunized against serious diseases like polio, Hepatitis B, and measles enjoys good health. These are the vaccination your child needs, make sure he takes them at the time; at birth, the child is vaccinated against hepatitis, polio and tuberculosis.

At six weeks, the child should receive the second dose of Polio vaccine or OPV1, DPT, HIB, Hepatitis and Rotavirus are administered, as he must be protected against pneumonia and Otitis media.

At 10 weeks, he should be given another dose of Polio, Rotavirus, DPT, HIB and Hepatitis, pneumonia and Otitis media. At 14 weeks, the third and final dose of polio, DPT, HIB, Hepatitis B and pneumonia and Otitis media vaccines should be administered.

At six months of age, she receives vitamin A, orally. At nine months, the child should be immunised against measles and yellow fever. At 15 months, he can receive booster doses of polio. He is qualified to be given vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella. At 12 to 24 months the child should be vaccinated against meningitis and septicaemia.

At 24 months, chicken pox and typhoid fever. Take immunisation seriously by keeping to the Nurse’s appointment; take note so that that there is no lapse between the last one and the next dose.

Keep the Surroundings Clean
Wash hands and surfaces as often as possible. Insist that hand washing becomes the family’s habit especially when they have been outside the home. It is possible that you have noticed that the big rains literally swept clean the environment, as they looked clean afterwards. But you may have observed too that some people are at it again-busily polluting the environment by spitting carelessly. You should make sure, therefore, that your home is protected by cleaning the floor often.

We may not be aware that we do this, but we do bring in a lot, especially germs, when we step outside. So minimise the chances of bringing in serious diseases into the home –serious diseases like pneumonia and bronchitis are common around this time and they live so long on a surface. For example, the virus, RSV which causes pneumonia and bronchitis are known to live for up to 30 minutes on the human skin after contact. It can survive for up to five hours or more on a kitchen surface. It thrives on areas like the counters and hand towels.

At that fancy restaurant, use tissue papers to wipe tables and chairs before making the children sit on them when you are out in public place.

Use the Dummy Less
Studies observe that children who use the dummy, at the time chances of infections are higher, stand the chance to pick up ear infections more than the ones who do not use them. The chances increase in an environment where there are many children, the expert say, as they observe that chances are that the dummies could get infected by bacteria and then pass the infection to the children.

They also believe that sucking may have a negative effect on a child’s middle ear pressure.

Discourage Nose Picking
At this time when colds and snuffles are common, discourage a child from putting his hand into the nose. Many parents do this already but they may not know that they are saving a child from falling ill. When a child who picks his nose dips his unwashed hands into his mouth, he may swallow a germ that causes a serious disease. In the nose, the germ is trapped by the natural filters; the mucous prevents the disease from spreading. But when he puts his hand into his nose and put them into his mouth, he may take in the disease-causing germ directly into his system.

Although it is sometimes difficult to prevent a child from doing it, but you may succeed if you keep reminding him that he could make himself sick by putting his hand into his nose.

Don’t Allow Kissing
A mother was asked why she stopped bringing her adorable baby to some gatherings; her answer was that everybody wanted to kiss the baby. One agrees with her caution. Once, a boy of 12 was carrying his baby sister to their mother in a group of stalls. As he made to pass the shop of a middle-aged woman, she snatched the baby from him. The shocked boy stood helplessly as the woman began to choke the child with slobbery kisses. It was malicious, I thought.