Coronavirus disease or what is now globally known as Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by a coronavirus that mainly attacks the respiratory system of the body. First discovered in Wuhan, China has now spread rapidly to more than 121 countries all over the world. The virus has also killed more than 4000 people as of March 2020 which lead the WHO to declare the disease as a global pandemic.
The coronavirus can attack anyone without exception from children to adults with the most victims being adults and the elderly.
This pandemic has undeniably caused concern to parents especially with the fact that the transmission could be spread rapidly every day. The virus is transmitted through coughs and sneezes from an infected person. It also can be spread by contact with feces from an infected person.
For this reason, it is important for every parent to know the ways to prevent the transmission of the virus to children which have been described in detail in the summary published by UNICEF on Saturday (14/3).
Recognize the Symptoms of Coronavirus
To prevent the transmission of the coronavirus in children, what parents need to do first is to recognize the symptoms. Some of the symptoms of corona are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. But in more severe cases, the Coronavirus can also cause pneumonia or difficulty breathing.
The consequences of the disease are so fatal that it can lead to death. Because the symptoms of the coronavirus are similar to the common cold, proper testing is very much needed to confirm whether someone has Covid-19 or not.
Teach Children to Get Used to Using Masks
The use of proper medical masks is highly recommended for everyone who has either mild or heavy respiratory symptoms such as coughing or sneezing to protect others from getting infected including the children.
It is also important for them to understand the correct way of using and disposing of masks in order to ensure the effectiveness and to avoid the risk of transmission of the virus.
Teach Children to Wash Hands Diligently
As quoted from unicef.org, the use of masks alone is not enough to stop the infection and must be combined with frequent hand washing, covering sneezing and coughing, and avoiding contact with anyone with any flu symptoms.
For this particular case, washing hands is highly important considering that when doing various activities, consciously or unconsciously, hands often interact with things that can spread contamination, such as doing hand-shakes, holding stairs, opening doors, etc. Therefore, washing hands is a must to avoid various kinds of disease-causing bacteria.
Get your little one used to wash their hands properly, using soap and running water for at least 20 seconds. Make sure he washes all parts of the hands including the backs of the hands, the palms, between the fingers, and the tips of the nails.
If Covid-19 Symptoms Appear Do a Medical Check-Up
Given that the symptoms of coronavirus are similar to the symptoms of the common cold, we simply cannot detect them carelessly, it is necessary to have further and proper medical examinations in order to make an immediate adequate treatment.
To prevent the coronavirus, we can also conduct several early treatments for children such as staying at home and avoid traveling to any public areas.
Provide High Nutritional Foods
A further way to prevent the coronavirus disease from children is by giving them high nutrients foods such as beta carotene that can be found in carrots and oranges that can boost the immune system to fight infection. Every food must be processed and cooked properly so that the nutrition obtained from the foods can be guaranteed.
Perform Basic Immunization
Coronavirus prevention in children is actually the same as preventing coronavirus in adults. However, protection for children needs to be added by complementing their immunizations.
Even though the vaccine for this particular disease has not yet to be found, every parent still has to pay attention to basic children’s immunizations that must be fulfilled completely as a fundamental medical requirement.
Source: https://www.merdeka.com/jateng/pencegahan-virus-corona-pada-anak-ini-yang-harus-orang-orang-ketahui-kln.html