Top Tips to Shield Children from Infections During the Rainy Season

The monsoon season, as refreshing and rejuvenating as it is, brings with it various infections. Most of the affected kids and youths are vulnerable since they have unrestricted movements and have not fully developed immunity. Here is how you can protect your child’s health during this period: 

Understanding The Monsoon Infections

Before discussing preventive measures, people should recognise the main infections characteristic of the rainy season. These include:

• Waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and dysentery are still around, mainly because the water supply is still impure.
• Respiratory infections: Cold and humidity also promote the emergence of virus-causing diseases such as common cold, flu and pneumonia.
• Vector-borne diseases: Mosquitoes, other insects, and diseases such as dengue, malaria, and chikungunya are rampant.
• Skin infections: This may be due to the warm and humid climate, which provides a suitable environment for skin fungal and bacterial infections such as ringworm and scabies.
• Food Hygiene: When taking meals, avoid foods that are purchased from the streets and raw vegetables, especially during the rainy season. Practice proper ways of handling food as well as storage at home.
• Indoor Air Quality: Ventilating indoor spaces should be done with clean air, so using air purifiers that have HEPA filters would be of great help.

Building Your Child's Immunity

The body’s immune system is therefore the initial buffer against infections. Here's how to boost it:Here's how to boost it:

• Balanced Diet: It is crucial to make sure that your child takes balanced meals that will supply them with the essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. There is, of course, truth in this statement: all fruits and vegetables are accepted, all forms of whole grains, and all lean protein.
• Adequate Hydration: Remind your child to take water so that his or her body will be able to expel toxins out of the system.
• Sufficient Sleep: Rest is an essential factor in the immune system, and one needs to get good quality sleep. The other thing that you need to do concerning your child’s health is to regulate their sleeping pattern.
• Regular Exercise: Regular exercise assists in building up the immune system of an individual. One should ensure that the child goes out to play when the weather is fine.
• Probiotics: It is recommended that probiotics be included in the child's diet to boost the health of the digestive system.
• Stress Management: To reduce stress, help your child do relaxation activities that include deep breathing, meditation, or yoga. Anxiety and stress significantly lower the body's immunity.
• Hygiene Habits: Prevention and wellness are the cornerstones of an effective health care plan and organization.Throughout patients’ daily routine activities as well as during episodes of their hospitalization, proper hygiene practices must be followed.
• Handwashing: Instruct your child to wash his or her hands with soap and running water after defecation, before eating, and after he or she has been outside.
• Nail Hygiene: It is advisable to minimize the length of the nails of your child and ensure they are thoroughly washed to reduce the holding of germs.
• Oral Hygiene: Ensure that the child brushes their teeth in the morning and, before going to bed at night, flosses their teeth after every meal.
• Cover Mouth and Nose: To your child, ensure that she or he knows that when coughing or sneezing, she or he should use a tissue or the elbow.
• Avoid Sharing Personal Items: Avoid using commodities such as towels or cutlery that were used by other people in order to avoid contacting diseases.
• Toilet Training: Hygiene plays an important role in training the children since they should learn how to avoid spreading infectious diseases. Make sure the child washes his hands well after he has used the toilet.
• Toys and Play Areas: Use toys and play materials that are easy to clean, and if possible, incorporate cleaning and disinfection to minimize the spread of germs.

Protecting Your Home Environment

It is for this reason that every home should be well sanitized in order to minimize instances of infection.

• Water Purification: It is highly recommended to either boil or filter all the drinking water.
• Kitchen Hygiene: Keep the hygiene practices inside the kitchen in mind, especially when preparing the meal. Wash fruits, vegetables, and other such raw foods prior to consumption.
• Waste Management: Ensure you dispose of your garbage well and ensure there is no accumulation of water in your home or in the neighborhood to counter mosquito breeding.
• Ventilation: There should be a good flow of air in your house to minimize humidity, as this will help in avoiding the formation of mold.
• Mosquito Nets: Having different screens, particularly mosquito nets, over windows and doors to keep off mosquitoes.
• Water Storage Containers: Such containers include those used for storing water; the same should be covered to avoid supporting mosquito breeding.

Outdoor Precautions

While it's tempting to spend time outdoors during the rain, certain precautions are necessary:While it's tempting to spend time outdoors during the rain, certain precautions are necessary:

• Avoid Stagnant Water: Avoid your child coming close to any water-filled hole or basin, as this is where mosquitoes and waterborne diseases thrive.
• Protective Clothing: Make your child wear a full-sleeved shirt and trousers to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
• Insect Repellent: DEET, the substance commonly used in mosquito repellents, should be used, but with precautions to avoid skin irritation by observing the interchanges provided.
• Footwear: Make sure that your kid does not expose his or her feet by putting on shoes that have close toes in order to avoid contact with the dirty water.
• Swimming Pool Hygiene: If a family has a swimming pool, it is advised that chlorination should be done properly as well as maintenance to avoid contracting diseases from the water.
• Avoid Waterlogging: Avoid walking through areas with water accumulated in them since these areas are suitable breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects.

Early detection and treatment

Infections are nevertheless unavoidable, even with all the preventive measures taken by the authorities and the public. Because of this, it is crucial to be more watchful, and if you see indications of it or experience them, you must go and see a medical practitioner right away.

• Monitor Symptoms: Earmark any slight illness such as a fever, cough, diarrhea, or skin rashes.
• Consult a Doctor: It is always important to seek the opinion of a child doctor, especially if your child develops symptoms that are severe or you harbor doubts.
• Complete the Course of Antibiotics: In case antibiotics have been used, make sure your child uses the whole prescription in a bid to minimize antibiotic resistance.
• Home Remedies: It’s been seen that a few home remedies, such as ginger tea and turmeric milk, may provide some relief from the common cold and flu. However, for severe conditions, one should see a doctor.

Also, read: Shielding Little Ones from Infectious Diseases

Conclusion

All the above tips can help you minimize your child’s vulnerability to infections during the rainy season. It is always the case that prevention is better than cure for any given condition. There is, therefore, no reason to suffer through the monsoon with fear of your child getting infected when you can protect them, right? If your child has any symptoms such as fever, cough, diarrhea, or skin rashes, book an appointment online and visit Surya Hospitals to consult with the best pediatrician doctors in Mumbai.