One of the unpleasant experiences that parents often experience is when their child falls ill. Children do have a tendency to get sick more often than adults because their immune system is not yet fully developed. That way, it is difficult for the body's immune system to fight off viruses and bacteria.
There are several factors that cause children to be susceptible to disease, ranging from congenital immunological disorders, extreme weather changes, to the condition of children who have difficulty eating. The combination of these factors can make a child's immune system weak and it is difficult to block viruses and bacteria from outside. Quick and precise handling is very important when a child falls ill. Therefore, it is better for parents to understand the various types of diseases that commonly attack children, such as the following diseases:
Diarrhea _
Diarrhea in children is often characterized by constant pain in the abdomen, and frequent bowel movements with loose stools. The most common causes of diarrhea are digestive tract infections, food poisoning or allergies, parasitic infections, and intestinal irritation. In children, diarrhea tends to attack more often because the development of the child's digestive tract is not perfect. Therefore, if there are pathogens or bacteria that enter, they can easily enter through the intestinal cells and directly enter the blood circulation.
If a child has diarrhea with a frequency of defecation of up to five times a day, you need to be vigilant, don't let your baby become dehydrated due to lack of body fluids due to diarrhea. For initial treatment, you can give drinks containing electrolytes (ORS). If diarrhea in children does not improve within three days, immediately consult a doctor so that the disease does not get worse.
Fever Disease
Fever occurs when a child's body temperature exceeds 37.2°C when measured from the armpit, exceeds 37.8°C when measured from the mouth, or above 38°C when measured from the rectum. Fever in children is usually triggered by a virus, such as the virus that causes influenza. You can take emergency treatment to deal with fever experienced by children by compressing the child's forehead with warm water, providing intake in the form of warm food and drinks, and warming his body with a blanket. Generally, fever experienced by children can be treated with medication. However, not all drugs can be given to children who have a fever. Therefore, consult with your doctor first so that children can be treated appropriately.
Sore Throat Disease
If a child seems to have difficulty swallowing food and is more fussy when trying to eat, it is possible that he has a sore throat. In addition to a dry and itchy throat, strep throat can also cause symptoms of headaches, weakness, and muscle aches. This disease is usually caused by many things, ranging from allergies, viral and bacterial infections that attack the child's oral cavity, to an unbalanced nutritional diet. Giving your child lots of water to drink and asking him to gargle salt water is a way that can be done to help reduce the symptoms of strep throat in children. However, if the child's condition does not improve immediately, you should immediately consult a doctor so that he is given safe and proper treatment.
Chicken Pox Disease
You need to be vigilant if you find red spots appearing on your baby's body. One of the typical symptoms of chickenpox is red spots on the body that turn into clear, water-filled bumps that itch and spread all over the body within a few days. In fact, chickenpox can be prevented with a vaccine. However, the child's immune system has a major influence on susceptibility to the smallpox virus, the severity of chickenpox, and the duration of recovery after chickenpox.
If your baby has chickenpox, it's a good idea to have him checked by a doctor to get treatment and medication according to his condition. In general, doctors will prescribe topical creams to reduce the itching felt by children. Apart from that, some oral medication will also be given that is adjusted to the child's body condition. Meanwhile, because the chickenpox virus is contagious, you should not let your child play with other children until he is completely cured.
Worm disease
Children are quite susceptible to worms because children play outdoors more often than adults. In addition, usually children also do not have the awareness to maintain the cleanliness of their bodies.
If a child plays outside and then immediately holds food and eats without washing his hands first, then there is a possibility that worms or worm eggs that come from soil or dirty water can enter the child's body and then multiply in the intestines.
To prevent this, you should teach your children to be disciplined in washing their hands, especially before eating and after leaving the toilet. In addition, routinely taking deworming medication every six months is also recommended to prevent worms.
Those are some diseases in children that need to be watched out for. Recognizing the various kinds of diseases that children often suffer from is useful so that we can carry out prevention and treatment more precisely so that they can grow and develop with a healthy body. #LiveExcellently