Each person lives in harmony with a set of microorganisms peculiar only to him, therefore, for the first time crossing the threshold of kindergarten, your child will meet not only new friends, but also new types of microorganisms, to which he will inevitably have to adapt. For some children, this adaptation occurs imperceptibly, while others begin to get sick often.
You can help your child overcome adaptation difficulties in the following ways:
Provide a barrier to the entry of viruses and bacteria:
1. Before leaving the house, lubricate your child’s nostrils with one of the following drugs:
0.025% oxolinic ointment
intergen ointment (sold at the influenza institute)
ointment “viferon”
Peach oil
petroleum jelly (sold at the pharmacy)
These drugs prevent the virus from sticking to the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract and thus reduce the likelihood of illness.
2. After returning home, have your child rinse their mouth with one of the following decoctions:
chamomile
St. John’s wort
sage
This removes potential pathogens from the oral mucosa. This procedure is useful for all family members upon returning home, so as not to infect the child.
Increase the defenses of the child’s body:
Hardening.
Taking drugs that increase the adaptive abilities of the body – adaptogens. One of the following schemes is possible:
Tincture of Eleutherococcus at a dose of 1.5 drops per year of life (for admission) – 3 times a day.
At the same time, gastric drops are taken, which you can buy at the pharmacy in a dose: 1 drop per year of life (for admission) – 3 times a day or motherwort tincture in the same dose. The course is 2-3 months. (For example: if the child is 2 years old: Eleutherococcus: 2 X 1.5 = 3 drops 3 times a day. + Stomach drops or motherwort: 1 X 2 = 2 drops 3 times a day).
Instead of Eleutherococcus, you can use one of the following drugs: Rhodiola rosea extract, Leuzea, infusions of zamanihi, Schisandra chinensis, aralia, and other adaptogens. These drugs are dosed in the same way as Eleutherococcus and are taken with stomach drops or motherwort.
Contraindications to the use of these drugs are high fever and increased excitability of the child. It is better to start taking adaptogens 3-4 weeks before the planned trip to kindergarten, but if you have not done this in advance – it is never too late – start now.
Taking vitamins
It is better to take vitamins in a course – 1 month. It is advisable to do this in winter and early spring, when the body’s defenses are most reduced. The pediatrician will help you choose the vitamins that are right for your child.
FLU
Almost all children over 6 months of age get the flu from time to time. This disease is caused by viruses of 3 types: A, B, C, which differ in the structure of surface proteins.
The influenza A virus has 13 varieties, but only 3 of them cause illness in children. Every 1-3 years, the virus changes its structure, which leads to an epidemic. Influenza viruses B, C have no subtypes. The influenza B virus changes its structure every 4-5 years, while the influenza C virus does not change its structure and rarely causes the disease.
Currently, diseases are caused mainly by 2 subtypes of the A virus (A2, A) and the influenza B virus.
Influenza is a serious illness accompanied by fever up to 39-40 (at least 5 days), headache, cough, in severe cases meningeal symptoms, delirium, hallucinations, impaired consciousness and convulsions are possible. Often the flu is complicated by the addition of a bacterial infection, then complications such as otitis media, sinusitis, laryngotracheitis, pneumonia, meningitis, meningoencephalitis develop. After the flu, post-infectious asthenic syndrome (fatigue, sleep, attention and memory disorders) can persist for a long time.
You can protect your baby from this infection with vaccinations starting at 6 months of age.
In our country, domestic and imported vaccines are used. All of them are the same in composition and are made from the actual strains of the virus subtypes A, A2 and B, which are annually recommended by WHO. Vaccines can be “live” and inactivated. The choice of vaccine depends on the age of the child, as well as on the state of his health (allergies, frequent colds, chronic diseases, etc.) Therefore, your pediatrician will help you choose the right vaccine.
After the introduction of any influenza vaccine, immunity is formed in 10-14 days. Therefore, it is better to vaccinate in the fall and finish 2 weeks before the expected start of the epidemic. It is better to vaccinate a practically healthy child. Therefore, it is advisable to start vaccination in October, when the flu is still far away, and the risk of contracting other colds is less.
Vaccination will be effective even in case of infection with other types of influenza virus, because they all have a similar structure of surface proteins and diseases are easier. Vaccinated children may rarely get the flu, but the illness will be easier and will not cause complications. The vaccine remains effective for 6-12 months.
Vaccination https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccination is especially relevant in families where children attend kindergartens and schools, since the risk of getting the flu in the collective is higher than that of the “home” child. Frequently ill children and children with chronic illnesses are especially at risk of getting the flu.
If your family has a baby in the first year of life, then the rest of the family members are vaccinated with inactivated vaccines. Also in such families it is simply necessary to vaccinate older children, especially those attending school or kindergarten.