Taking care of your childs health

BANGALORE: With the shivering cold embracing the IT city for almost a week now, the incidence of children in the age group of one to five years falling sick with seasonal diseases like cold, cough, influenza, respiratory infection are on the rise. While the MET department has forecast,  a further dip in the mercury level in coming days, the city based pediatricians have cautioned parents, who need to take extra care to protect their children from the biting cold.Dr Shivananda, chief child specialist at Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH)  says “The number of children  suffering from wheezing disorder, allergies and diarrhea have already spiked up. Though the viral fever cases have gone down but with  dip in the temperature, there is an increase in 30 per cent of pediatric cases above six-months-olds to five-years-olds visiting the hospital day in and day out.Dr Bhaskar Shenoy, head of the pediatrics department, Manipal Hospitals echoes the same and said that their hospital has witnessed a drastic increase of 40 per cent of pediatrics cases. He says that respiratory disorder is induced by cold breeze leading to sudden increase in the cases with respiratory infections like wheezing, cough, cold, throat infection and respiratory allergies. Not just that the season has also affected the skin of children as it becomes dry and consequently they feel a burning sensations and irritations in their skin.However, with few precautions, children can be safeguard during this winter months. Specialists emphasis on the  prevention aspects.Speaking of the precautionary measures to prevent getting sick, Dr Girikumar Venati, internal medicine, Fortis Hospitals, says, infected patients can infect others through their secretions, which mainly is through respiratory droplets. A person infected with flu virus can start transmitting the virus even a day before actually getting sick and until five to six days after. Therefore, sick children should not come in contact with their siblings. Besides, personal hygiene and good dietary food help the children in building immune system and good health.[email protected]