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Summer Diseases & Illnesses To Watch Your Kids For
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Diarrhea, Vomiting, and Food Poisoning
Barbeques and picnics are great during the summer, but having food that’s sitting out in the hot sun can potentially bring about unintended side effects. Food poisoning from spoiled food can lead to diarrhea and vomiting as well as other complications such as dehydration and fevers.
To prevent your children from contracting food poisoning, make sure to not leave food sitting outdoors or in the hot sun. At parties, barbeques, or picnics ensure that all food has been properly cooked to the right temperature to kill any bacteria. Wash all fruits and vegetables before eating them or feeding them to your children. If your child does contract food poisoning, make sure to always keep them hydrated.
Water Borne Diseases – Amoebiasis, Shigellosis, and Cholera
When the sun gets hot, puddles seem very inviting for little kids. Unfortunately, water isn’t always as clean as we hope it is. Even pools and manmade ponds might have bacteria that can be harmful to children. Lakes, larger ponds, rivers, creeks, and ocean water can be hotbeds of bacteria depending on the region you’re in. Most water borne diseases present with diarrhea and stomach ailments and, in the case of cholera, dehydration that can be serious. Amoebiasis is a parasitic infection and shigellosis is a bacterial infection that usually resolves itself within a week.
To prevent your children from contracting water borne diseases, don’t let them play in dirty water or unclean pools. Advise them to not drink any of the water that they are swimming or playing in, as it is usually this method that leads to water borne diseases.
Summer Colds and Coughs
While it might seem contradictory to catch a cold in the summer, summer colds are usually caused by the enterovirus which is one of over 200 types of viruses that cause the common cold symptoms. This type of virus usually comes with more severe symptoms and can even cause rashes. Just like colds caused in the winter, summer colds don’t have a treatment so your best bet is prevention.
To prevent getting a cold, wash your hands often and especially after being outside. Use hand sanitizer when water and soap is not available and keep the immune system healthy and be ready to ward off invaders. Enough sleep and stress-free conditions are ideal for the immune system to work at its peak, so make sure your children are getting enough zzz’s every night.
Prevention is better than any medicine out there and it should be the first thing you do to keep your kids healthy and happy. Although the summer months might seem like a time when it should be all fun and games without the worry of getting sick, there are plenty of diseases and viruses that can affect your children so always be on the lookout and practice good hygiene to stay ahead of the game.
