MAR
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Protect your child against summer diseases
Posted by Dr. Tita Uy | March 17, 2010 | 5:52 PM
Your child should be able to enjoy every bit of his summer vacation. But he won’t be able to do that if his immunity foundation is weak. As you know, there are plenty of diseases and ailments that thrive in summertime. Make sure you boost your child’s defense against the following:
Water-related diseases. The warm weather, combined with the effects of El Niño, has decreased the water levels in our major dams. The scarcity of safe water forces a lot of us to use contaminated water, leading to outbreaks of diarrhea and skin diseases.
Prevention: Make sure that your child drinks only potable water. Personal hygiene is also critical to avoid the spreading of these diseases. Hand-washing is very critical.
Heat-related ailments. Too much sun can harm your child. Look out for heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which occur when the body loses too much fluids due to intense heat or overexertion. Also, he may suffer from sunburn, which occurs when he is overexposed to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun.
Prevention: Give your child at least eight glasses of water a day. Make him wear light colored cotton clothes as these absorb less heat. Apply sunscreen all over his body (with SPF 15 at the minimum). Also, remember that the sun is most harmful from 10am to 4pm, so make sure your child avoids prolonged exposure to direct sunlight during this period.
Food and water-borne diseases. When people are on vacation (especially in exotic places), they like to try local drinks and dishes like street food. This can lead to diarrhea, hepatitis A and typhoid. Also, since bacteria flourish in warm weather, food tends to spoil faster. This makes picnics or excursions prone to food poisoning.
Prevention: When you’re out of town, drink only bottled mineral water. Eat only in trusted establishments. Always check if your refrigerator temperature is set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower—this keeps bacteria from thriving. If you plan to bring food on a trip, make sure these are placed in a cooler to prevent spoilage. And cook your food well to kill all bacteria.
Sore eyes. Contrary to popular belief, you won’t catch sore eyes just by looking at the eyes of an infected person. However, this viral eye infection is highly contagious, and may be passed by hand to eye contact (touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the eyes).
Prevention: Remind your child to wash his hands frequently during the day. Make sure he covers his mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing or coughing. Ask him to avoid touching his eyes and face. Also, prohibit the sharing of towels and eyeshades. Remember to disinfect surfaces regularly.
Mosquito-borne diseases. Tropical countries like ours are home to dengue and malaria-carrying mosquitoes. These insects are active during summer, which is also when people spend more time outdoors.
Prevention: Stagnant water breeds these harmful mosquitoes, so make sure you cover drums or pails. Change the water in vases regularly. Remember to clean all the corners of your house. And, apply insect repellant on your child.
Measles. According to the Department of Health, the number of measles cases is rising nationwide. It would most likely increase during the summer months since children have more time to play with other children, who may be carrying the disease.
Prevention: Make sure your child is vaccinated against measles.
With your help, your child can avoid these summer troubles. Don’t forget to boost his immunity foundation with moderate exercise, adequate rest, proper hygiene and a well-balanced diet complete with all the essential vitamins and minerals for him to truly enjoy his vacation. And we can’t stress this enough: teach your child about proper hand washing. This is the single most effective way to prevent the spreading of communicable diseases. Remind him to wash his hands often to lessen his chances of getting sick or passing on a disease.