Keep Your Kids Healthy This Winter!

from Shine Newsletter, Winter 2006

The experts at The Children’s Hospital want to help you keep your children free from viruses, asthma flare-ups and other seasonal illnesses this winter. Read on to get the information you need to have a healthy, happy season.

Keep Them Free from Colds

What they are. Characterized by a stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, an occasional cough, watery eyes and hoarseness, the common cold is caused by a viral infection. However, 5 percent to 10 percent of children with colds will develop bacterial complications such as ear or sinus infections. Healthy children have an average of six colds a year. Most of these colds are not serious and will run their course in seven days to two weeks.

Prevent them. Teach children to wash their hands regularly with soap and warm water, not to share glasses or utensils with someone who has a cold and to cover their mouths with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. Regular exercise and plenty of sleep are important as well as keeping children away from infected people.

Treat them. Have your child rest and drink plenty of liquids (noncaffeinated beverages are best). Most over-the-counter cold medications are not helpful. Care for a runny nose with profuse discharge by suctioning the nose.

Protect Them from RSV

What it is. A very serious illness, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can infect people of all ages, though infants are at the greatest risk for severe illness. Symptoms in children older than age 3 include slight headache and cough, low-grade fever, sore throat and runny nose. In children younger than 3, symptoms include high fever, wheezing, rapid or labored breathing and severe cough.

Prevent it. RSV is passed through coughing and sneezing. Keep your children away from people who are known to have RSV or a cold. Have everyone in the family wash their hands regularly for 15 seconds with soap and warm water and avoid rubbing their eyes or touching their noses.

Treat it. Fluids and nonaspirin medication as well as a cool-mist humidifier can ease symptoms. Because RSV is a viral infection, antibiotics are not effective. If your child develops a fever higher than 101 degrees, a bluish or gray color to the lips or fingernails, difficulty breathing or a cough lasting more than four days, call your child’s doctor.

Avoid a Bout of the Flu

What it is.  Influenza is a viral infection that affects the lungs and respiratory tract. Its symptoms are similar to those of a cold, but flu symptoms tend to develop more quickly and are more severe. 

Prevent it. Hopefully your children have received flu shots, but regardless, you can help keep them healthy by staying away from large crowds whenever possible and having them wash their hands frequently. Also, keep kids home when they’re sick, have them cover their mouths and noses when coughing and avoid touching their faces,  eyes and mouths.

Treat it.  Give your child over-the-counter nonaspirin pain medicine to ease fever and aches. Rest and fluids are essential. Because the flu can make your child hot then cold, dress your child in layers so he or she can easily take off or add clothing. More tips on beating the flu.

Prevent Seasonal Asthma Flare-ups

What it is. A chronic inflammatory lung disease,  asthma causes a person’s airways to tighten. An asthma attack (also called a flare-up) is caused by a trigger such as allergens, stress, a respiratory infection like the flu or RSV and the dry winter air.

Prevent it. Reduce the likelihood of an asthma flare-up by following your pediatrician’s recommended asthma treatment regimen, avoiding the use of wood stoves and fireplaces and taking the preventive steps recommended for colds, flu and RSV.

Treat it. When flare-ups occur, have your child use his or her inhaler. For a first-time flare-up, call your child’s physician and seek emergency medical care promptly.

For further information, contact the Parent Advice Line at (720) 777-6543 or (800) 613-4130. Enter 8372 for Colds: The Facts, 8393 for Influenza, 8324 for Asthma – how to use inhalers or 8325 for Asthma – treatment.