1. Prickly Heat in Children
At the top of the list of common ailments in children during the summer is prickly heat. This is a highly prevalent condition, especially in infants and young children. The disease results from inflamed sweat ducts, causing red, itchy bumps on the skin. Poor skin hygiene in hot weather contributes to the occurrence of the disease. Dirt can clog the sweat ducts, leading to inflammation.
To treat prickly heat in young children, mothers should pay special attention to daily skin hygiene for their babies. They can use leaves such as citronella or boiled fish mint with water for the baby's bath, which is very effective in preventing and treating prickly heat. If the condition of prickly heat is severe, parents should seek the advice of a doctor to use sterocorticoid-containing medications for the baby.
One of the mistakes mothers make that worsens the condition of prickly heat in their babies is the use of talcum powder, making the baby's skin not only less breathable but also clogging the pores, exacerbating inflammation.
2. Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in Children
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) is one of the diseases in children that easily becomes an epidemic in the summer. If not treated promptly and correctly, it can be dangerous to the child's life. The cause of HFMD in children is usually the acute viral infection that is often transmitted through the digestive system. Children with HFMD often have a fever, trouble sleeping, and frequent crying. Later, blisters that are easy to burst will appear on the body, most commonly in the areas of the hands and feet. When children show symptoms of HFMD, mothers should take them to a healthcare center for examination and treatment advice. Currently, there is no specific cure for HFMD, and medications only treat the symptoms of the disease. Children are given fever-reducing medication, and their bodies are kept clean as directed by the doctor.
Children with HFMD need to rest in a cool, ventilated place, and their bodies should be kept clean. Mothers should feed them easily processed, soft, and nutritious food, supplementing with protein, fat, fiber, and vitamins to boost their immunity. Keeping the child's body and the surrounding environment clean, and ensuring that the child's diet is rich in nutrients, is the best way to prevent HFMD.
3. Diarrhea
The digestive system in young children is still quite vulnerable. Especially in hot weather, the most common disease is diarrhea. In summer, food spoils quickly, and bacteria and flies thrive. If food is not carefully prepared and stored, it is very easy to get infected, posing a danger to children. Children infected with intestinal bacteria are also very susceptible to diarrhea.
Mothers can recognize the signs of the disease through changes in the child's bowel habits: an abnormal increase or decrease in frequency, looser or firmer stools, containing mucus, a pungent smell, etc. Children may experience abdominal pain, aching pain, or intermittent pain. In infants, mothers should pay attention when the baby cries a lot and quickly check to identify the baby's illness. To prevent diarrhea in children in the summer, parents should pay special attention to hygiene, bathe and clean the child, and for older children, teach them to wash their hands with soap before and after meals. The child's food must be hygienic, properly prepared, and stored.
4. Measles in Children
Measles is an acute infectious disease that can easily erupt into an epidemic, especially in crowded environments such as nurseries and primary schools. The disease spreads very quickly through the respiratory tract. Symptoms of measles in children include: Fever, red rashes all over the body, accompanied by symptoms such as cough, runny nose, red eyes, swollen and painful glands (neck, behind the ears), and joint pain. If measles in children is not treated in a timely manner, it can lead to serious complications such as blindness, acute diarrhea, pneumonia, encephalitis, and can result in disability or death, especially in young children.
Currently, there is still no specific treatment for measles, and measures only help treat symptoms. When a child has measles, mothers should pay attention to supplementing an adequate amount of nutrients and minerals to boost the child's immunity. The best way to prevent measles in children is to get vaccinated. In addition, mothers can take their children to health centers for a 3-in-1 vaccination (preventing mumps, measles, rubella).
5. Meningitis in Children
Meningitis is one of the particularly dangerous diseases for young children in the summer that parents need to be aware of. The cause of the disease is the child's contact with objects contaminated with bacteria such as toys, feeding bottles, or complications from other diseases such as chickenpox, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, etc. The initial symptoms of meningitis include high fever, runny nose, and cough. Later, the child may breastfeed poorly or refuse to breastfeed, be irritable, vomit, and have a bulging fontanelle (children under 12 months old). Some children may also have accompanying diarrhea.
The disease progresses very rapidly, usually within 1-2 days. Without treatment, the patient will become unconscious and have seizures. In severe stages, it often leaves severe neurological consequences, making the child deaf, intellectually impaired, losing learning abilities, and having difficulty in movement, or even death. When a child shows symptoms of meningitis, mothers should take the child to the hospital for timely examination and treatment.
6. Chickenpox
Chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by the Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), a type of herpesvirus.
The disease spreads rapidly when an infected person coughs or sneezes, releasing virus-laden respiratory droplets into the air. Symptoms of chickenpox include initial signs of fever, headache, muscle aches, and, in some cases, no apparent symptoms at this stage. Later, characteristic red rashes appear, which after a few days transition to fluid-filled blisters, then pus-filled, and finally scab over. If these blisters are not disturbed, they will fall off quickly without leaving scars. During this process, the child recovers gradually, including the return of appetite and overall well-being.
When a child shows symptoms of chickenpox, mothers should promptly take them to a healthcare center for examination, guidance on care, and treatment. Typically, doctors may prescribe fever-reducing medication and topical ointments. Mothers should pay attention to the child's hygiene, using warm water and soft towels for gentle cleaning to avoid breaking the blisters. To prevent chickenpox in children, it is advisable to have them vaccinated at a medical center.
7. Dengue Fever
Dengue fever is an infectious disease caused by a virus, transmitted primarily by mosquitoes. Mothers can recognize when a child is affected by dengue fever through symptoms such as high and persistent fever, severe headache, recurring fever, without accompanying runny nose, cough, or diarrhea. Red rashes appear on the body, and when stretching the skin, they do not disappear. In some cases, bleeding may occur, such as bleeding gums or bloody stools.
Mothers should focus on reducing fever in children, regularly monitor body temperature to prevent high fever that can lead to seizures or shock, and provide adequate nutrition and water. Dengue fever, when cared for properly, can be cured within 7-10 days. However, if the disease progresses severely, it can lead to bleeding in the brain or internal organs, posing a life-threatening risk. Mothers should proactively prevent the disease in children by maintaining personal hygiene and the surrounding environment, using mosquito nets when sleeping to prevent mosquito bites.
8. Respiratory Diseases
Respiratory inflammation is classified into 2 types: acute respiratory inflammation and chronic respiratory inflammation. The disease often occurs when there are favorable factors such as changes in weather from hot to cold, drinking excessively cold water or ice water, consuming ice cream, lying down, sitting in front of cold air from a fan or air conditioner... The initial symptoms are fever (can be mild fever, sometimes high fever accompanied by chills), along with fever are cough, sneezing, and runny nose. The cough can be just a tickle, or it can be continuous.
Thus, respiratory inflammation is not a single disease but a combination of diseases including: Common cold, pharyngitis, laryngitis, sinusitis, tracheitis. Although there are many different individual diseases, they all have some common and easily noticeable symptoms. The main symptoms include: High fever, sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, hoarseness, loss of voice, nasal voice, hoarseness, sometimes loss of voice, fatigue, headache, joint pain... When children have symptoms of respiratory diseases, mothers should take them for examination and treatment at medical facilities from district level upwards.
9. Viral Fever
The symptoms of viral fever in children are: High fever of 39-40 degrees Celsius, accompanied by symptoms of headache, muscle aches, continuous crying, poor breastfeeding, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping... Most cases of viral fever resolve on their own after 5-7 days, without leaving any complications as it is a relatively benign illness. However, mothers should regularly monitor the child's temperature and condition to avoid cases where the child's fever is too high, leading to seizures. When red rashes appear on the child, it may have contracted other diseases such as measles, chickenpox, or dengue fever.
Children with viral fever are often very tired. Mothers should supplement nutrients through drinking and ensure an adequate intake of water. If a child under 5 years old has a high fever above 39 degrees Celsius, mothers should take the child to a medical center for examination and treatment, avoiding seizures and unconsciousness.
10. Food Poisoning
During the scorching hot summer, if food and various food types are not properly prepared and stored, failing to ensure food safety and hygiene practices can be the cause of food poisoning in children. The main symptoms of food poisoning include diarrhea, accompanied by vomiting and dehydration. The vomiting condition may last about 1 day, while diarrhea often lasts longer, even up to a week or more. Additionally, children may experience the following symptoms: Fever, fatigue, headache, abdominal pain...
When parents see signs of fever and persistent diarrhea in their children, they often worry and immediately buy medicine for them. Many people even give their children antibiotics, which is a serious mistake. Health experts have pointed out that administering antibiotics in this case is unnecessary because it not only does not shorten the duration of the illness but also increases the time for bacterial resistance. The main treatment involves rehydration and electrolyte replacement, especially if acute diarrhea occurs in children. Therefore, parents need to rehydrate with Oresol solution following the instructions. If the child has excessive watery diarrhea, high fever, severe abdominal pain, continuous vomiting, frequent bowel movements, bloody stools, parents should promptly take the child to the nearest medical facility for timely examination and treatment by a doctor.