The Philippine Online Chronicles

After a long and gruelling school year, parents and kids alike are all surely looking forward to a fun and relaxing summer break. No more homework, no more reviewing for exams, and most of all, no more waking up early!

However, as the summer heat rises, so do incidents of injuries and infections.

According to Dr. Che Zablan – Salazar from the Department of Family and Community Medicine of the University of the Philippines - Philippine General Hospital (UP – PGH), “during summer, aside from illnesses, kids are more susceptible to accidents [such as] sports-related injuries”.

Common summer viruses include enteroviruses, parainfluenza and poliovirus. It is important, therefore, that both parents and kids are reminded of summer health and safety checks that will help make the summer more enjoyable and hassle-free.

Summer-proof your kids

A lot of summer activities leave children exposed to a number of potential risks that can increase their likelihood to suffer from heat-related conditions, such as heatstroke, dehydration and sunburn. These are easily prevented by being vigilant about monitoring water intake, exposure to the sun, and wearing cooler clothing.

During the summer, kids are also exposed to mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and other bugs. Bites or stings from these pests can cause illnesses such as dengue and flea-borne typhus. Aside from ensuring clean surroundings, exposure to these elements can be lessened with the use of common insect repellants. Plant-based natural insect repellants such as citronella spray are safer options.

The sweltering heat can also agitate animals around the home or neighborhood, making them more irritable and testy. Reports suggest that dog bites increase over the summer which puts children and adults alike at risk for rabies infections. Ensuring that pets have their annual anti-rabies shots and reminding kids to be more cautious around them can help prevent bites or injuries, especially since dogs and cats are more temperamental during this time.

Summertime is an excellent time for sports and similar physical activities, so it is important that parents provide children with the necessary precautionary measures to prevent serious injury. Knee pads, helmets and other protective gear will definitely keep them safer against sports-related injuries such as fractures.

Common summertime infections

One of the most common infections that affect people during the summer is diarrhea. This is most often due to contaminated food and water. Food poisoning is also prevalent, especially since most food-borne bacteria flourish in the heat. Dr. Zablan-Salazar points out that during the summer, families tend to travel more and may ingest unclean or unsterilized water. A common culprit is ice, since it is taken for granted because it is not necessarily “drank”. Being wary about the cleanliness and hygiene of children is essential in avoiding these infections.

The Department of Health (DOH) recently declared a measles outbreak in many parts of the country. Though measles can occur at any time of the year, health authorities attribute the increase in cases to the rising temperature of summertime.  Measles is highly contagious airborne viral infection that manifest usually after eight to 12 days after infection. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, tiny white spots inside the mouth and a generalized rash that shows a few days after the initial fever.

Another common childhood illness that shows up during the summer is chicken pox. Like measles, chicken pox is contagious and is easily spread by contact with an infected person. Cases of chicken pox may increase during the summer because children are usually in close contact with each other while playing.

Sore eyes or conjunctivitis, ear infections and skin rashes also see an increase during the summer.

More than just summer caring

For many parents, summertime is also a time to catch up on various medical and dental check-ups. The summer season is a good time for wellness consultation for children because they have time on their hands. Since it is vacation time, the children need not to absent themselves from classes. Further, if there are side effects from procedures or vaccinations administered, they can rest well at home without missing class sessions. These can also be helpful in preparing them for the upcoming school year.

An oral prophylaxis, an eye examination and a general physical examination are just a few procedures that are bet done during summer. It is also during the summer that many Filipino boys undergo the rite of passage that is circumcision, mainly because of the time it takes for healing.

Updating vaccines is also recommended during the summer break. Dr. Angeli Espiritu, a pediatrician, recommends that children from six months to five years of age be given an annual flu vaccination between the months of February and June to cover the increased influenza activity from June to October. It is also recommended that the vaccine be given during this time because this is the time that the vaccines for the projected virus strain for the year is released.

Planning ahead for the summer is key, says Dr. Zablan-Salazar. Should you be planning a trip abroad for the vacation, it would be important to know what infections or diseases to protect against. Vaccines may include immunization against rotavirus, influenza virus or pneumococcal disease.  Also, visiting your paediatrician several weeks prior to your trip will be helpful.

At the end of the day, however, what would really make for a safe and healthy summer is being aware of the risks and hazards that the summertime brings. One can never go wrong with preventive measures and being educated about these illnesses and infections. With that, we can make better choices and take the appropriate steps to protect ourselves. Have a happy summer!

Photos by Ria Tirazona. Some Rights Reserved.

-----

Maria Andrea (Ria) S. Tirazona, M.S. (cand.), popularly known as Yapatoots in the online blogging and social community, is a preschool teacher at Playschool International and part-time lecturer at the Psychology Department of De La Salle University. She is also an Associate Psychologist at PsychConsult, Inc, where she specializes in Psychological Asssessment. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Family Life and Child Development from the University of the Philippines and is currently working on her thesis for her Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology at the De La Salle University. In her spare time she maintains several blogs, including www.theaccidentalteacher.com and www.yapatoots.com.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites