[READ] Save your baby from respiratory illnesses

It’s always a joyous occasion to witness the birth of a new baby. Relations, friends and acquaintances bask in the euphoria of another miracle of nature, as they behold the infant in all his helplessness.

But despite the amazing joy that greets a new addition to the family, new mothers would tell you that caring for newborns can be a Herculean task. This is because the first three months of the baby’s life matters a great deal, as the parents try their best to protect their newborn from the elements.

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Even at that, there is sometimes hardly much to celebrate until the baby is at least 60 months old, when medical experts believe that the chances of his living to adulthood would have been improved by more than 85 per cent, barring all odds.

The fear of a baby dying before s/he reaches age five is real. This is because before this magical age, babies are susceptible to life-threatening infections, and parents and health workers don’t consider their jobs done until the baby survives past his/her fifth birthday.

Although global under-five mortality rate dropped by 47 per cent since 1990, the World Health Organisation notes that globally, 6.6 million children under age five still died in 2012 alone, translating into nearly 18,000 child deaths per day!

Physicians describe childhood mortality as the death of a child before his/her fifth birthday. Scientists say for every 1,000 babies that are born, six die during their first year. They say most of these babies die because they are born with a serious birth defect, or because they are born too small and too early – in other words, they are born before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Babies may also die as a result of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or if they are affected by maternal complications of pregnancy, and if they are victims of injuries.

But beyond these, there are other problems that can result in the death of under-five, and they include the following.

Pneumonia

Consultant Paediatrician, Dr. Ruth Oseghale, says though anyone can develop pneumonia, some groups are at greater risk. “These include babies and toddlers, especially babies that were born prematurely,” Oseghale says.

While this infection can strike anytime, the paediatrician warns that it usually shows up during cold and rainy season, especially after the child may have been exposed to cold or other upper respiratory infection.

She also notes that certain viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, and the flu virus are responsible for pneumonia, and they could make a child really sick as to require emergency intervention.

What to do: if your child is sick, take him/her to the hospital. However, in order to save your baby from this preventable illness, experts recommend the following:

Keep vaccinations up to date. Take the Hib, DTaP, MMR, flu for children at least six months old; as well as chicken pox and pneumococcal vaccines.

“All of these vaccinations can help prevent pneumonia. And if your child’s vaccination is not up-to-date, discuss with your paediatrician on the way forward,” Oseghale counsels.

Also, you need to practise good personal hygiene by washing your hands and your child’s hands often to prevent the spread of germs.

“Viral respiratory tract infections spread when children’s hands come into contact with nasal secretions from an infected person. That’s why you don’t let your child share cups or utensils; regularly clean all the places germy body parts might touch, such as the phone, toys, doorknobs, and the refrigerator door handle,” the physician further advises.

And if there’s something you must never permit around your child, it is smoking. Physicians say if you or your spouse smokes, do it outside and ask your visitors to do the same.

Scientists say studies have shown that children who live around cigarette smoke, even for short periods, get sick more often and are more susceptible to pneumonia, upper respiratory infections, asthma, and ear infections.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Researchers warn that the disease burden from respiratory infection is greater than that of any other cause of disease among the under-five babies and that in 2002, 18 per cent of death among children younger than five years of age was caused by respiratory infections.

Nearly all children would be infected by the time they are four years old, researchers warn, with many of them actually getting infected the first year of life.

And unlike certain infections (such as mumps) that confer immunity and saves the baby from re-infection, experts say RSV does not provide complete immunity, and re-infection is common, although usually less serious. Again, as in the case of pneumonia, RSV outbreaks typically occur during the cold and rainy season.

Oseghale says this affliction comes with symptoms such as runny nose, fever, cough, wheezing, and a severe infection that can lead to respiratory distress. This problem is currently ravaging 10 American states, making doctors to be bewildered as to the reasons for the sudden surge.

But you can save yourself the hassles of battling another preventable health problem.

What to do: The same goes as the pneumonia prevention. “Again, we cannot overemphasise the need for appropriate clothing for the child. So, when it’s cold, wear thick clothing that can keep your child warm and adequately covered from the cold,” Oseghale submits.

-Punch

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