Preventing infection is not impossible; it is possible to prevent infection by simply following some useful steps. To prevent your kids from getting infected, you need to take some combined actions involving you and your kids. The process can be divided into 2 steps:
Self-awareness and self-change
Prevention of spreading of infection
Now, let’s go through the steps:
1. The most effective preventive measure against infection is washing hands. One should follow the ideal way of washing hands otherwise some parts of the hand remain unwashed. Try to keep a pocket hand rub all the time. Remember to wash your hands:
- When they are dirty
- Before you fix or eat food
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After touching raw meats like chicken or beef
- After using the restroom
- After contact with blood, urine, stool or vomit
- After touching animals, pets
- After touching garbage
- After coming from outdoors
2. Wash foods before cooking (even the eggs!) and fruits before eating.
3. Keep kitchen floors clean.
4. Cook food adequately up to appropriate temperature, e.g. beef or mutton (160F/71C), poultry (165F/74C). Do not keep the leftovers outside, either refrigerate them or throw them in the garbage.
5. Use mask while outdoors.
6. Keep your toilet, bathroom, and restroom clean.
7. Keep seasonal fruits in your diet as they boost immunity.
8. Teach your kids to use their own personal items (toothbrush, hair-comb, spectacles, shoes, etc.), and teach them how to keep this clean and why they should not share those.
For example, the head of the toothbrush should not be left open, as cockroaches can walk on it at night!!! And why they should not share it? Research shows that human bites are more infectious than dog bites! So think of all the germs we carry around in our mouths.
9. Encourage regular bathing and use of oil, moisturiser, and antiseptic mouthwash.
10. Pets should be strictly forbidden entry in dining, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.
11. Use nets at night or ensure an insect (fly, mosquito, ticks) free environment with environment-friendly insect killer and others.
12. Do not let your kids near an infected individual.
Discourage the use of antibiotic during early symptoms of infection because viruses cause most of the childhood infections. Usage of antibiotic in these conditions may develop antibiotic resistance, which in later life would be a big reason for medications not working for them. Remember, your kids have a long way to go, more diseases to fight, it’s not wise to disarm their natural weapons against infections at this early stage.
- Get your kids vaccinated against some organism like- pneumococcal, hepatitis, etc. Consult your GP for up-to-date information about available vaccines.
- Gradually educate your kids about infection.
Prevention of spreading of infection
1. Try to keep your kids at home whenever they show specific symptoms of infection like sneezing, coughing, fever, runny nose, and diarrhoea.
2. Teach your kids to cover their mouths while sneezing with a tissue, and if that is not available, then to cover the mouth with the bend of elbow or hands. If hands are used, clean them right away.
3. Try not to touch the eyes, nose, and mouth, even when the hands appear to be clean because these are the most vulnerable parts of the body through which organisms can enter.
Believe that the power to stop most infections is in your hands. It is for you to decide whether to use it or not.