Health experts' tips to parents to tackle COVID-19 infection among children

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Dispelling the panic among parents over the reports of the COVID-19 affecting around 38,000 children in the State, health experts and the NHM said that there is nothing to worry about as one can tackle the situation at ease at home.

Health experts and the National Health Mission (NHM) have issued an advisory to help parents tackle the COVID-19 infection in their children. According to the advisory, the parents should keep their COVID-19 infected children in well-ventilated rooms. If the child is below five years, the mother or a caretaker should stay with it. If a family doesn't have a home isolation facility, they should opt for institutional isolation. Asymptomatic or children with mild symptoms can opt for home isolation. The parents should shift their COVID-affected children facing rapid breathing/difficulty in breathing to a dedicated COVID health centre immediately.

The experts, however, added that extra care is a must if the child COVID-19 patient has a disability, HIV, underlying cardiac, liver and kidney problems.

According to the NHM, the COVID-19 symptoms of children are no different from that of adults. The common symptoms are fever, chill, cough, loss of taste, etc. The NHM advised the parents to monitor the respiratory rates of an infected child three or four times a day, observe bluish discolouration of the skin, check urine output four hourly and the body parts if they are cold.

The NHM also advised the parents that they should keep children away from adult COVID-19 patients. And the adult patient should use a triple-ply mask.

The NHM cautioned the parents that they shouldn't apply any medicine to their COVID-affected children without consulting doctors.

GMCH (Gauhati Medical College & Hospital) sources said they are ready with all equipment, beds and other facilities for COVID-infected children. They, however, want support from the parents who shouldn't delay in testing and admitting their children when they notice any COVID-19 symptoms in them.

Also Read: 34,606 children in Assam infected with COVID-19