How to make a child or school going kid virus aware

The last 2 years have been a challenging time for everyone. We have seen how adults and the elderly have been severely affected by the COVID waves taking so many lives and instilling fear and apprehension among everyone.

We have been fortunate that kids and young children have not been affected so much in this pandemic as far as disease burden is concerned. Mostly they have had mild symptoms or they had been asymptomatic.

But eventually, they also had to face the effects of lockdown, social isolation and school closures. They had to see and face the “deaths and hospitalisations” that happened in the family. This along with all the news and discussions we have at home about the current situations around has taken a toll on the mental health of children.

We are finding that more and more children have become subdued, irritable, anxious and fearful of strangers and new environments. Their speech is getting delayed and there is evidence that they are getting more and more screen time from mobiles and TV.

Because of the psychological impact and lagging in education, schools are being opened and the government is also relaxing rules and restrictions.

The time has come to instil the right information and carefully use words and information to instil confidence in children so that they can come back to normal routine life. This virus is going to stay with us and we will have to deal with it.

A few questions can be discussed and explained to the children so that they are aware of the virus and the current situation.

How does the Coronavirus spread?

 People can get the virus from another infected person who may or may not have the symptoms. It spreads when an infected person talks, coughs or sneezes which send the tiny droplets laden with the virus into the air. It lands on the nose, mouth or nose of a non-infected person and that’s how they spread. The viruses can stay in the air for minutes and hours. Studies have shown that the risk of spread is highest when people are less than 6 feet apart or spend a lot of time together in a closed space.

It can also spread if someone touches an infected object and then touch their own nose, mouth or eyes. But this spread is less common.

Ways to prevent the spread of Coronavirus

 The most important way to prevent the spread of infection is wearing masks and children need to be educated about the importance of using them in public places. Any child above 2 yrs of age should be using the mask in public places or when they are with strangers in closed spaces.

Children should be taught to wash their hands well and often. They should wash it for more than 20 seconds with soap and water or use a hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol.

They should stay away from people who appear or are sick.

It’s the parents’ responsibility to instil confidence and give the right information regarding the prevention of spread. They should not discuss or talk negatively in front of children. They should discuss the above points about Coronavirus with their children and educate them about cough etiquettes, social distancing and hand washing, telling them why they are important.

The author is the additional director and HOD at the Department of Paediatrics in Fortis, Noida. Views expressed are personal.

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