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The end of summer holidays is fast approaching. The summer months slowly give way to cold days and increasingly cold mornings. This is the time when children return to kindergartens and schools. Every parent knows that this is also, unfortunately, a period of increased incidence of infectious diseases, including viral ones. How to protect yourself from them?
Children in groups get sick more often
Every parent is well aware that the beginning of the preschool and school year very often means the beginning of problems with viral infections. Children become infected from each other at an avalanche rate. Fortunately, the vast majority of these diseases do not pose a significant threat to the health and life of a child, but they often require medical intervention and appropriate pharmacological treatment.
Even minor colds must not be underestimated, as failure to take appropriate measures increases the risk of serious complications, including, for example, otitis media, bronchitis, pneumonia, and even myocarditis.
However, if symptoms occur, do not treat your child yourself, but go to a specialist, because some commonly used drugs are not effective in treating viral infections and common colds. For example, antibiotics are only used when there is a bacterial infection, and administering them when not needed can lead to antibiotic resistance, which is an increasingly serious medical problem.
The most common infections in schools
Most viral infections encountered in educational settings involve the upper respiratory tract. These are undoubtedly the most common childhood diseases, next to rotavirus infection. Kindergarten and school children are equally affected by colds and the flu. Staying in groups, especially during breaks, increases the risk of rapid virus transmission. These are primarily those viruses that cause, inter alia, symptoms such as:
- fever above 38 degrees C,
- stuffy nose and runny nose
- feeling tired, irritable and general breakdown,
- conjunctival redness,
- sore throat and headache,
- cough,
- muscle pain.
Even a slight cold can destabilize a family’s life. Parents are often forced to take time off work to ensure that their sick child is properly cared for.
How to protect your child from infections
The risk of viral infections is reduced by proper prophylaxis, including diet, systematic exercise, stress reduction, and the administration of safe medical devices. It is worth taking care of it all year round, because this is the only way to strengthen the child’s immune system.
Diet
What ends up on a child’s plate is of great importance for his immune system. From an early age, it is worth taking care of balanced meals, rich in natural sources of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, mainly from fresh vegetables and fruits. The daily diet should also include unsaturated fatty acids (EFAs), including DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), of which marine fish are a rich reservoir.
It is necessary to limit the diet of products with a high glycemic index, highly processed, high salt content, as well as fast food so beloved by schoolchildren.
Moderate exercise
There is a lot of talk about the digital childhood phenomenon these days. Preschool and school children spend too much time in front of TV screens, smartphones and tablets. Lack of exercise promotes the development of not only obesity, but also many cardiological problems, which in turn reduces the body’s resistance and facilitates the penetration of viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. A daily walk, tennis lesson, cycling or dancing is enough to improve blood circulation, lower the level of the stress hormone (cortisol) and thus strengthen the condition of the immune system. Movement should be a natural habit for a child, just like brushing their teeth.
Hygiene and social distance
It is worth instilling in your child the habit of thoroughly washing hands not only after leaving the toilet, but also systematically throughout the day, especially after direct contact with peers, touching various usable surfaces or playing in the yard. It is worth packing a small package of antibacterial and antiviral gel in the child’s backpack, so that the child will be able to disinfect his hands when he has no access to water and soap. When reminding the child of the basic rules of hygiene, it is also worth paying attention to an additional factor that will increase his safety – maintaining an appropriate distance when contacting other people.
A new way of protection – Bloxin medical device
In order to additionally protect yourself in the autumn and winter season against coronaviruses and flu viruses, it is worth reaching for support from the pharmacy. A good solution is to use Bloxin nasal spray gel (available over the counter). It is a prophylaxis against infections, as well as a helpful solution for all those who find themselves in a situation where the recommendations do not require the use of masks, e.g. in restaurants, and when it is necessary to remove the mask to eat, such as in communal areas such as school. As additional protection, it can also be used before going out to family celebrations in a larger group, to a concert, to the cinema, theater, supermarket and other public places.
Bloxin works immediately after application to the mucous membranes of the nose or mouth, creating a mechanical barrier that, supporting natural protective mechanisms, blocks the penetration of viruses into cells and their multiplication. In addition, Bloxin limits their human-to-human transmission. An additional advantage of the preparation is the alleviation of symptoms of viral infections, supporting their treatment and shortening the duration of the disease.
However, it should be remembered that the preparation will not replace a vaccine or the need to protect the mouth and nose with a mask. This is an additional protection against viruses compared to the measures used so far. Bloxin can be used in children over 1 year of age. Therefore, it is worth getting this product when preparing for the child’s return to kindergarten or school.