Shield your kids from seasonal diseases

India is blessed with a beautiful seasonal cycle. It encourages our wealth of seasonal crops, flowers and fruits, and also our very own variety of diseases. Getting timely and hassle-free medical help for kids is now a major problem, thanks to the pandemic. Prevention is better than cure, and that is truer than ever in this scenario. Find out more about seasonal diseases and how to avoid them.  

Common Indian seasonal diseases and symptoms  
In India, the most common seasonal diseases are Influenza, Dengue, Malaria, Jaundice, Typhoid, and a few other viral infections that mimic these infections in terms of symptoms and lifecycle. The most common ‘disease seasons’ are March – April and July – August, with stray disease attacks in August – September sometimes. The reasons for the spread of these diseases include water clogging, contamination of water bodies, improper sanitisation, rainwater puddles, overcrowding in the festive seasons, and wider range of temperature variations. The common symptoms of seasonal diseases are cold, cough, sneezing, rapid or shallow breathing, stomach upset, headache, body pains, fever, and lack of appetite. Other seasonal diseases also share some of the symptoms. Most of these infections are self-limiting and require only symptomatic medication along with adequate hydration, rest and home-made food. 

Preventing infections  
In case your kid has been showing symptoms already, visit the doctor. But prevention is better than cure, as they say. Here are the preventive measures that you can take to keep infections at bay:  

• Keep your child hydrated at all times, offer bland food, and introduce a light exercise regimen. Keep her feet and hair dry, nails trimmed and surroundings hygienic.  
• Make sure your kids bathe daily and wet their hair at least thrice every week.  
• If they are not of the age to get the COVID 19 vaccine, make sure they are vaccinated against flu, pneumonia and jaundice (Hepatitis B).  
• Keep a ready stock of medicines at home to tackle cold, cough, fever, pains and stomach upset.  
• Don’t allow stagnant water to accumulate and become a breeding ground for mosquitos. 
• Iron clothes, especially socks after drying them to remove any moisture and eliminate fungal growth.  
• Try to give your kids natural immunity boosters such as honey, ginger, lemons, turmeric, and seasonal fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin K.