Parents, protect your child against coronavirus

The number of coronavirus patients in the country is rising by the day. Parents are anxious about the welfare of their children. However, the risk of infection can be avoided by adopting certain rules and maintaining certain precautions.

Get your children into the habit of taking 20 seconds to wash their hands in the correct method. They must especially wash their hands well before eating, after using the bathroom, or after coming in touch with anyone who is unwell.

Children must be repeatedly reminded not to touch their eyes, nose or face without washing their hands. They must learn the etiquette of sneezing and coughing. They must cough or sneeze into a tissue or the inner side of their elbows.

Children learn from adults and so adults must also adhere to the rules of hygiene. And children should be praised when they follow the rules of hygiene correctly.

It is best not to take children outdoors unless absolutely necessary. If a child must be taken out, he or she should be given a paper bag or water bottle to carry so as not to touch anything. Repeatedly clean your child’s hands.

A child should wear a proper sized mask, not an adult’s mask as this will be loose and be of no use. If a child under two years old doesn’t want to keep the mask on, there is no need for a mask then.

Dengue season is here so children should be dressed in full-sleeved cotton clothes as well as shoes and socks. Mosquito repellent should be used on the exposed parts of the child’s body. When you return, children’s shoes should be kept outside and their hands should be washed up to the elbows and their clothes washed too. It would be best to give children a bath after they come in from outside.

If possible, children should be kept away from the elderly and ailing within the house. Ensure your child gets at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep a day, has balanced meals, exercise and games which involve physical exertion.

Shaoli Sarker is assistant professor, Dhaka Shishu Hospital