Children in the nursery: 10 febrile processes per year
Taking a child under two years of age to daycare means that your immune system will go through the course fighting with bacteria, viruses and other disease-causing microorganisms. Faced with this consecutive chain of childhood diseases, the best thing for parents is to arm themselves with patience, to have prepared an alternative plan for when the baby is sick and to try to avoid contagion routes as much as possible.
"It's always bad". This is the phrase that most parents repeat when they take their babies to the nursery or nursery school. A reality that corroborates the Spanish Association of Pediatrics. At the 62nd congress held in Seville, the AEP estimated that a child under two years of age going to a nursery school will suffer 10 febrile processes per year, almost one a month.
Now, a study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that children under 2 years can get sick from a viral infection per week between influenza, bronchitis, croup or laryngitis, diarrhea, ear infections, etc. For this reason, it is convenient to know in depth what these common diseases are, that they are not serious when they are not complicated with others, what to do and how to treat them.
6 typical nursery diseases
Consulting with the pediatrician is always the first recommendation when our children are sick. The doctor should always be the one to diagnose the disease and recommend the most appropriate treatment.
1. Herpangina and 'hand-foot-mouth' disease
They are very common infections at early ages. They are recognized by the appearance of small red dots in the back of the mouth, that later become small sores something painful. Hand-foot-mouth disease has the same symptoms, but as its name suggests, in the mouth, hands and feet. They can also appear in the diaper area. Both diseases are caused by the same virus.
Its symptoms are fever, sore throat and discomfort before the appearance of the points in the mouth. There is no treatment against this virus, which is spread by contact or breathing. The stitches and ulcers disappear in 10 days. Your incubation period is 3 to 6 days during which you can infect others. Antipyretics can be given to relieve fever and pain.
2. Catarrhs and pharyngitis
Are the Upper airway infections more frequent. The symptoms are fever, runny nose and nasal congestion, of slight character, although the sensation of respiratory distress in the smallest. You can decrease your appetite and appear vomiting and, in the case of pharyngitis, sore throat and cough associated with secretions.
These infections do not have specific treatment and disappear in a matter of days. Antipyretics can be used to control fever and reduce general discomfort. Likewise, antitussives are not recommended, because cough is a necessary defense mechanism of the body to cleanse the airway of secretions.
3. Gastroenteritis
Quite frequent among children in the first years of school, although the most common is that caused by rotavirus, against which vaccination is already included. Its symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain. It is easy to transmit it by fecal-oral route in diaper changes or when children are cleaned, so it is necessary to teach hygiene measures well.
The treatment consists of good hydration and an astringent diet, only in case you do not improve your pediatrician can prescribe antibiotics. Probiotics are a very effective ally in these cases to increase the bacterial flora good for the child and decrease the most pathogenic germs.
4. Ear infections
Otitis is an inflammation of the middle ear, usually derived from a previous respiratory infection due to the accumulation of mucous secretions. Children are more vulnerable to this infection because their Eustachian tubes are shorter, horizontal and wide. In addition to mucus in the nasal passages, otitis can present fever and earache. In many cases this infection is cured in 2 or 3 days with a treatment of ear drops with anti-inflammatories, which will help to reduce the inflammation of the eardrum and the surrounding tissues so that the mucus can leave. If the pediatrician considers it, antibiotic treatment may be prescribed in certain cases.
5. Roseola or sudden rash
The picture begins with a very high fever (it can reach 40.5 ° C) a few days before a skin rash appears that begins on the trunk and extends to the extremities. The rash, of small pink spots that do not sting, will last between 3 and 7 days, during which the fever decreases in intensity. The child may also have enough nasal mucus, sore throat and red eyes.There is no specific treatment and the disease usually ends on its own without complications. Fever, although high, responds well to antipyretics.
6. Conjunctivitis
It is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the membrane that surrounds the eye through the scleral area (white part of the eye) and the eyelid inside. Conjunctivitis is a frequent infection at an early age that is caused by irritation, either by allergy or infection. Irritation produces redness and the eye increases tear production as a cleaning mechanism. When the tears are superinfected, the legañas appear, which aggravates the feeling of "grit", and a slight pain, which usually feels like itching. Its treatment usually requires less than a week of antibiotic in eye drops, until the child wakes up at least two consecutive days without secretions and with normal eyes.
Marisol Nuevo Espín
