Does it seem as if your kids
are sick all the time? It’s been weeks since your kids have gone to school and
that means they’ve been exposed to various viruses lurking around them. Crowded
areas, including school facilities like classrooms, are perfect breeding
grounds for the organisms that cause the common cold, flu, as well as sore
throat. With more than 200 different disease-causing viruses1
present in their surroundings, young children whose immune systems are still
developing can acquire 6 to 12 episodes1,3 of cold annually and are
at high-risk of serious flu-related complications2 such as fever,
cough, and sore throat.
Whether your kids are
attending kindergarten this year or going off to college, there are things that
you can do to help prevent them from contracting these illnesses and missing
school. While there is certainly no cure for it, it’s always better to keep
them protected from viruses that can cause it, because as they say there’s no
better offense than great defense. Here are a few ways to help:
Boost
their immunity
Feed your kids with plenty of
fruits and vegetables that will help boost their immune system. Look for food
items that are rich in vitamins C and D, and avoid those that are loaded with
preservatives, sodium, and sugar. Also, it would help them if you increase
their fluid intake by having them drink 8 glasses of water a day.
Teach
them the importance of proper hygiene
Yes, ensuring that they know
how to properly wash their hands is very important, but outside, hand
sanitizers are their first line of defense from illness-causing organisms.
Teach your kids to use hand sanitizer before they pick up their food since
various items they interact with in and out of school might hide some nasty
secrets in the form of viruses and bacteria.
Cover
up!
One of the easiest ways to
spread diseases like cold and flu is through droplets expelled through coughing
or sneezing. So, it’s important for kids to cover their nose and mouth whenever
there are people coughing or sneezing around them. The same is also true once
they are infected with the virus. Remind them to cover their nose and mouth
with a hanky or a tissue when they cough or sneeze, as this ensures that people
around them don’t get infected as well. If they don’t have a tissue, teach them
to cough or sneeze on their upper sleeve and not on their hands.
Put
gargling at the heart of hygiene
Since most cases of sore
throat are caused by viral infection, your child can often get other symptoms
like a runny nose or aches and pains just like the first signs of a cold.
Instill in your children’s habits the importance of proper mouth and throat
hygiene by using an oral antiseptic solution such as Povidone-Iodine
(BETADINE®) Oral Gargle that can kill germs and prevent passing them on within
the family. And, for out-of-home use, they can complement it by using
Povidone-Iodine (BETADINE®) Throat Spray.
Implement
the no sharing policy
One of the most important
things that kids should learn is the value of sharing, but there should be
limits especially when more and more people go down with the common cold or
even flu. Remind kids not to share their personal stuff such as cups, straws, spoons,
forks, scarves, and other things that come in contact with mouths and faces.
Better safe than sorry!
Have
a well-stocked medicine cabinet
Your little one may wake up
in the morning or come home from school feeling unwell and exhausted. Common
cold usually starts with an itchy or sore throat, then comes sneezing and a
runny nose. When their throat starts getting itchy and sore, prevent it from
getting worse. Having a well-stocked medicine cabinet with your trusted upper
respiratory products, like the BETADINE® Cold Defense Nasal Spray, is extremely
important in treating the early symptoms of cold and sniffles. With BETADINE®
Cold Defense Nasal Spray, you can reduce the symptoms of a cold by up to two
days7, keeping the virus from spreading further and worsening, plus
it’s proven to have lower relapse rate.
The level of your preparation
will keep your kids, and ultimately, your whole family, healthy. In holding off
these illnesses from bugging your kids, you can get the help you need from one
of the leading and most trusted antiseptic brands of Povidone-Iodine that is
BETADINE®4,5,6. It has a whole line of upper respiratory care
products that are clinically proven to be safe and effective including
Povidone-Iodine (BETADINE®) Oral Gargle, Povidone-Iodine (BETADINE®) Throat
Spray, and BETADINE® Cold Defense Nasal Spray.
Note:
- Center
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Publication “Rhinitis vs
Sinusitis in Children” 2009
- Center
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Publication “The Flu: What To Do
If You Get Sick” 2015
- National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of
Health (NIAID). Common Cold.
- Euromonitor
International 2018.
- IQVIA
NSA MAT Data as of September 2018.
- IQVIA
PMDI MAT Data as of June 2018.
- Ludwig
M et al. Respir Res 2013;14:124.
- Eccles R et al. Respir Res 2010;11:108.
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