Mother: Does your child have the flu? Simple care can curb transmission at home

The return to living together after long social isolation has led to a rise in cases of virus disease among children.

The flu, which causes greater concern during the coldest periods of the year, is on the rise in São Paulo, and has already been considered an epidemic in Rio de Janeiro, inclusive.

Symptoms such as fever, body pain, runny nose and stuffy nose have taken many parents to the emergency room, after all, the pandemic is still around. And for those who have more than one child, the disease hardly passes through the household without contaminating the siblings, when it doesn’t overthrow the parents or caregivers as well.

This took place at the home of legal assistant Claudia Pin, 30. Heitor, aged two years and eight months, caught the flu at school and developed a fever and a lot of coughing. Three days later, one year and three months old David also became ill. “Whenever Hector takes something, Davi takes it right away”, observes the mother.

“This time, despite the runny nose and coughing, the symptoms in the youngest were milder.” She attributes the fact that the disease was milder to breastfeeding.

And she is right. Specialists interviewed by Maternar claim that exclusive breastfeeding until the sixth month, maintained for up to 2 years or more, reduces the chances of contracting diseases and reduces the severity of symptoms in cases where the child was infected.

The flu also visited the home of psychologist Andrea Barros, 37. Mother of twins Flora and Caetano, one year and one month old, she says that the disease came through Caetano in the first week of adaptation at school.

As babies sleep in the same room and share everything, including the mother’s breast, the mother started to wash the girl’s nose more often and separated the two cutlery and glasses to try to curb the disease. Even with milder symptoms, Flora also came down with the flu.

They share the routine, put the same toys in their mouths. I find it very difficult for one to be sick. I’ve even accepted it,” says the mother.

There are two forms of contamination, explains pediatric pulmonologist Marina Buarque de Almeida. “One of them is through droplets (aerosols), transmitted through saliva, spitting, sneezing, coughing or secretion of the infected”.

In these cases, the same precautions used to avoid Sars-Cov-2 (new coronavirus) keep Influenza away, such as keeping the house aired, using a protective mask, distancing and frequently cleaning hands with soap and alcohol gel.

“Separating objects from siblings that are taken to the mouth and cleaning them frequently with soap and water or 70% alcohol is one of the recommendations to stop other viruses spread by contact, such as rhinoviruses, enteroviruses and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), the main cause of bronchiolitis”, recommends the specialist.

​Since there is still fear of the coronavirus, the pediatrician and director of Professional Defense at the Associação Paulista de Medicina, Marun David Cury, recommends always seeking medical attention so that there is correct guidance.

“The best thing to fight a flu is to be well fed, well hydrated, well medicated when necessary, and rest.