Winter Worries: Kids Falling Prey To Cold and Pneumonia

If winter comes can spring be far behind? The spring of delight gets hut in winters when we fall ill. Children suffering from pneumonia due to cold and pollution, is not at all a good news.

Today in Indian cities children are vulnerable to pneumonia due to increasing cold and pollution. Those who have not been vaccinated they are at greater risk. Dr. DK Gupta, Chairman & Pediatrician, Felix Hospital, says that children are being found suffering from pneumonia in the OPD now every day.

Factually looking through the doctor’s eye view, pneumonia is the main cause of death of children. Identifying the symptoms of pneumonia in time can save children from the disease by starting treatment. Children need special care in this season being more at risk of pneumonia during winter days. Here it gets imperative that parents make sure children be protected from cold. Keeping them fully clothed and keeping their ears covered, can protect them from cold.

Parents need to be constantly cautious about kids health in this season. Fast breathing, wheezing in the chest, etc. can also be a sign of pneumonia in children. Most of the children below five years of age have difficulty in breathing and drinking milk, due to pneumonia. On the other hand  precaution for Measles is also required which is a highly contagious disease caused by measles virus. Apart from fever and rashes, there are chances of various diseases like ear infection, diarrhea and pneumonia in kids during winters.

As remedy, Vaccination is highly effective in preventing measles. The droplets spread in the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks is to be taken care of carefully. Resultantly, when other people breathe them in, they can become infected. Regular vaccination has been affected during the Corona period and due to this, children have not been able to complete the full course of the vaccine.

This is where it gets necessary for kids to opt for vaccination on time. Lung infection is caused by bacteria, virus and fungal infection. Cold is a type of allergy, due to which there are runny nose and mucus from the throat seen. When a mixture of pus and water forms within our respiratory system, that usually is a sign of infection of pneumonia. The first dose of pneumonia vaccine is given at sixth week of birth to kids. Then the second at 10 weeks, the third at 14 weeks and finally the booster dose is given at 18 months.

The prevention of pneumonia is obviously better than cure

As [er the medical experts, vaccination is the most used way which is known as the best treatment to prevent pneumonia. These vaccines viz. Pneumococcal vaccine, the PCV 13, Hemophiliacs Influenza Type B, can protect from bacterial pneumonia.

Just keep washing your hands several times regularly with soap or handwash will prove a big help. Pneumonia spreads through droplets of infected people, so avoiding face-to-face contact with such people is also required at the same time. Doctors insists on the basic mannerism of keeping mouth covered while coughing and sneezing. Thus, we can avoid infecting our hands by sneezing into our elbow.

The usual symptoms of pneumonia in accordance with the doctors include:

• Chest pain, especially when you breathe or cough
• Cough that produces phlegm or sputum—sputum that is yellow, green
• Blood color can also be different
• Excessive fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Sweating and chills
• Nausea and vomiting