Teach virus protection protocols to kids from start: Expert

Mohali: “It is high time to teach your kids how to protect themselves from viruses like Covid-19 in the coming times.”
Addressing a virtual session on ‘how to protect kids from viruses’, Dr. Paramjit Singh, senior consultant of Paediatric at Ivy Hospital, Mohali said on Sunday that it is the duty of parents to develop the habit of frequent washing of the hands among their kids.

For achieving this demonstrate them the six steps for hand washing or show the videos related to hand washing.   Sanitization of hands with sanitizer needs to be supervised by parents in children below 6-yr, opined Dr. Paramjit.

Avoid going to crowded places like malls, bus stands, railway stations, family functions with children. Teach them to wear masks, if they are older than 2-yr, he pointed out.

Tell children to avoid hugging & shaking hands with the strangers besides asking them to learn sneezing & coughing etiquettes by using tissue for rhinorrhea and to cough or sneeze in the elbow pit.

Change and wash their clothes on their return from outdoors.  Create awareness amongst them, towards the value of maintaining social distance.

Only homemade nutritious meals to be given to them and outside food should be avoided.   Supplement the children below 2-yr of age with maintenance dose of vitamin-D, he informed.
For infants the primary immunization should be completed as per schedule   besides getting them vaccinated with the flu vaccine,  if they are above six months, asserted Dr Paramjit.