We know how climate change is working, and now, heat is blinking in our eyes. It is time to protect your children from common summer illnesses.
Not eating healthy food, drinking enough water, playing outdoors for hours, and avoiding wearing clothes that can cover themselves can lead to some challenging issues. For all the parents, your child doesn’t know the issues, but you do.
This article will let you know about the common summer illnesses in children and how you can prevent your child.
Common Summer Illness
1. Heat Stroke
According to the National Safety Council, more than 37 children die because of heatstroke every year. Due to prolonged exposure to the sun and high temperatures, children face heat-related illnesses. They have less ability than adults to regulate their body, and due to higher metabolic rates, they engage in various physical activities, leading to more sweat per kilogram, leading to increases the chance of heatstroke.
This further causes weakness, dizziness, nausea, sweating, and headache. Some children develop alarming signs like rapid breathing, flushed skin, very high body temperature, confusion, and loss of consciousness.
Prevention Tips:
- Let them dress in a light-colored dress, and the clothes should be cotton.
- Limit their outdoor activities, especially when the sun’s rays are at their peak hours.
- Never leave your child unattended in a parked car, because the temperature in the car can rise up to dangerous temperature.
- Keep your children hydrated and add electrolytes. While playing, children lose electrolytes through sweating, and by adding that, you can balance electrolytes, and help in maintaining body temperature.
2. Food Poisoning
Hot and humid temperature is a perfect time for bacteria to grow along with other microorganisms, and contaminated food carries the most. Due to high temperatures, bacteria grow easily in food. Also, summer is a time to spend more time in picnics, etc., and children often mishandle food, increasing the risk of food contamination. It led to digestive issues and discomfort. Some signs like nausea, cramps, diarrhoea, fever, weakness, vomiting, and dehydration should not be avoided.
Prevention tips:
- Don’t let your child eat from unhygienic places.
- Wash their hand thoroughly with soap, especially when they are back from playing.
- Make sure to avoid leaving food outside for hours, as it can increase the risk of building bacteria due to high temperatures.
3. Mumps
It is a contagious viral infection and happens due to swelling in the salivary and parotid glands, leading to a sore jaw and puffy cheeks. It can spread if you are surrounded by a person with a cold. Tiny droplet in a sneeze contains the virus, and they can spread into the air. This mainly occurred in crowded environments, and increased close contact with an infected person, while travelling and in school.
Prevention tips:
- MMR vaccine is the recommended treatment by doctors. It contains two doses, first between 12 to 15 months of age and second between 4 to 6 years old.
- Introduce hygiene to them, and ensure that they practice it.
- Make sure to keep your child away from the person who is already infected with mumps.
4. Chickenpox and measles
Both chickenpox and measles are considered extremely contagious viruses transferred via airborne droplets or skin contact with the infected patient.
Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus entering via respiratory or direct skin contact. It then propagates all over the rest of the body through the bloodstream, causing itching blisters and fever. The measles virus first infects the respiratory system and spreads throughout the remaining body, resulting in high fever, cough, and red rash.
It happens due to increased exposure outdoors translates into more contact with infected persons. Increased heat stress decreases immunity, leaving children at greater risk.
Prevention tips:
- Vaccination is the key to protecting your child, and for that, you can visit Cradle Children’s Hospital.
- Avoid getting in contact with the person with chickenpox or measles.
- Cool bathe and use calamine lotion to prevent discomfort and itching.
5. Dehydration
Dehydration results when the body loses more fluid than it takes in, resulting in electrolyte imbalances and impaired functioning of organs. Failure to consume water causes dehydration, interfering with circulation and energy, Heat increases the loss of electrolytes through sweat. Children have a greater metabolic rate and thus are more susceptible to fluid loss because exposure to heat increases the sweating speed. Also, outdoor activity boosts exertion, which in turn accelerates dehydration.
Prevention Tips:
- Encourage fluid intake, and to accomplish this, you can add juices, and fruits like watermelon to their diet.
- If your child is sick, then consider ORS (oral rehydration solution) to fulfill the need for fluids and electrolytes that are lost.
- Educate your child about the importance of water.
6. Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD)
HFMD is contracted due to enteroviruses, the most common being Coxsackievirus, which are spread through contaminated surfaces, saliva, and contact. The virus infects the body through the mouth or the respiratory system. It replicates in the gastroenteric tract before spreading to the skin and mucous membranes, generating blisters and rashes.
It is increased in summer because of shared surfaces (pools, playgrounds, toys) and increased exposure. Also, heat-stress-compromised immunity makes the infection worse, because children usually touch their faces to swipe the sweat, and this can enhance viral spread.
Prevention Tips:
- Frequent handwashing with soap and water, especially after using the toilet, is a must.
- Promote good hygiene practices in their daily routine like avoiding random objects, using clean utensils, washing hands, and using a handkerchief or elbow while sneezing.
- Keep your child away from an infected person.
7. Respiratory Infection
Respiratory Infections include flu, cold, and more serious conditions like bronchitis. This happens due to changes in temperature from prolonged sun exposure to sudden air conditioning and excess heat. Some common symptoms include sore throat, fever, breathing difficulties, and a runny or stuffy nose. It can become a worse situation for children with asthma, and due to heat and humidity, the situation can lead to some drastic results.
Prevention Tips:
- Encourage your child to use the tissue of the elbow while sneezing.
- As a parent, make sure to clean and disinfect surfaces like countertops, doorknobs, or toys.
- Encourage them to drink lots of water.
- If your child is asthmatic, then make sure to consult with the doctor first before giving them any medication.
8. Skin and Eye Infection
Due to sweat, dirt, and accumulation of bacteria, the risk of skin infection increases in children. Also, scratching insect bites and maintaining poor hygiene increases the infection. Some common skin infections are, impetigo; these cause red sores and bursts in the form of honey-colored crusts, and happen around the nose and mouth. Fungal infection; itchy and scaly patches and majorly happens in moist areas like toes, armpits, and groin.
In summer, most of the children experience eye infections because of swimming pools. A number of people engage in those activities in a single place, and it includes lots of dust, bacteria, and sweat. And due to exposure to heat, eye infections like styes and conjunctivitis increase. Symptoms like watery eyes, sticky discharge, sensitivity to light, pinkish eyes, itchiness, and swelling.
Prevention Tips:
- Make sure your child is not sharing their specs or clothes.
- Bathe your child regularly, thoroughly dry their skin, and keep their clothes and towel neat and clean.
- Don’t let your child touch their eye frequently, because hands carry the most bacteria.
- Encourage your child to change their sweaty clothes.
Consultation Never Hurts
Summer is a time for your children to enjoy and explore the activities that they have been waiting to do for so long. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to keep your child protected from bacteria and illness, and also, you need to ensure that they are following good hygiene practices. But if your child starts showing any symptoms related to summer illness, it is better to get them checked by professionals, because you can take risks when it comes to your child.
Cradle Children Hospital makes sure to provide comprehensive care to keep children healthy and happy by protecting them from summer illnesses. So, if you have any queries or doubts or want to book a consultation, feel free to contact us.
