The beginning of Autumn has passed, and morning and evening temperatures gradually diverge. As a result, parents need to pay special attention to their children’s health. The first reason is that after a summer of scorching heat, air conditioning and cold drinks, children can more easily be impacted by viruses that emerge at this time of year. The second reason is that Autumn has a high incidence of various infectious diseases because of unpredictable temperatures. The third reason is that children’s own resistance is weaker than that of adults, with poor adaptability and weak immunity, making them extremely vulnerable to epidemic infectious diseases.
Yet, dear parents…please don’t worry. Below, we would like to share some Autumn childcare tips. Please review them carefully.
Hand,foot and mouth disease, HFMD
This is a common infectious disease in children caused by enteroviruses. It is characterized by rash and blisters on the hands, feet, and oral mucosa, often accompanied by oral pain, cough, runny nose, loss of appetite, and low fever. Most symptoms are mild, and the child generally recovers on their own in about a week.
Precautions
Hand washing is the best way to prevent bacteria and viruses, especially when children have been playing in public facilities. Of course, frequent hand washing is not only for children – parents should also pay more attention to this practice. While adults’ immune systems work well and they are not easily infected with the hand, foot and mouth virus, as parents you can indeed become a carrier of this or related viruses. So, no matter which virus or bacteria, please remember to wash your hands frequently.
Maintain adequate ventilation
Keeping our indoor air fresh is a good ‘rule of thumb’ for preventing respiratory infectious diseases. Hand, foot, and mouth disease can not only be transmitted through the fecal-oral route, but can also be transmitted through respiratory droplets via coughs, sneezes, etc.
Wash and disinfect frequently
In addition to washing frequently, you can also disinfect items with UV light or high-temperature boiling.
Although an HMFD vaccination does not guarantee that you will not be infected with HFMD, vaccinations can play a great protective role in ensuring that severe cases will not occur after infection.
Children displaying fever symptoms need to obtain child antipyretic treatment as soon as possible. Parents should give the child more warm water and do a good job of care.
Children infected with HFMD should be treated through home isolation. Parents should notify their child’s homeroom/tutor teacher as soon as possible and inform them of their child’s condition and diagnosis. At the same time, parents should submit the ‘certificate of re-examination’ to the homeroom/tutor teacher.
Influenza, an acute respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus, is highly contagious. The incubation period is 1~3 days, and the main symptoms are fever, headache, runny nose, sore throat, dry cough, muscle and joint pain and discomfort throughout the body. The fever generally lasts for 3~4 days, and the virus can also manifest itself as pneumonia or gastrointestinal influenza.
Precautions
Before eating, after using the toilet, or returning from going outside, you must wash your hands according to prescribed procedures. When sneezing, coughing or cleaning one’s nose, the face should be covered with tissue. Avoid mixing personal hygiene products.
Although there are many types of infectious diseases in autumn, as long as we pay attention to prevention, early detection, isolation, diagnosis and treatment, we can effectively block the spread and transmission of infectious diseases. Let’s work together to create a healthy and safe living and learning environment for our children, enabling them to pass the ‘eventful autumn’ safely and to grow healthily, happily, and robustly!
虽然秋季传染病种类繁多,但只要我们重视预防工作,做到早发现、早隔离、早诊断、早治疗,就可以有效阻断传染病的流行与传播。让我们一起为孩子们创造一个健康、安全的生活学习环境,让孩子们安然度过“多事之秋”,健康、快乐、茁壮地成长!