Dr Amit Kumar Tyagi
Immunisation against deadly diseases is important for your child’s total well being as the child needs extra immunity during early developing years of life. Therefore, to spread awareness about the importance of immunisation, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has marked the last week of April as the World Immunisation Week.
According to the WHO estimates, immunisation prevents about 2-3 million deaths every year. Yet 1 in 5 children still misses out worldwide. “Immunisation is widely recognised as one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions ever introduced. It protects children not only against diseases for which vaccines have been available for many years, such as diphtheria, tetanus, polio and measles, but also against diseases such as pneumonia and rotavirus diarrhoea, two of the biggest killers of children under 5.
Also, it has been observed that over protective attitude or behaviour of urban parents towards their growing children is the major cause of their weak immunity. Parents should understand that if their child is playing outdoors in dirt or dust or catching colds, it’s actually going to be beneficial as it continues to train their immune system to be well tuned and capable of identifying and dealing with pathogens. “The psychology behind these phenomena is a simple fact that parents don’t want their children to get infected by germs or unwanted dust particles that are present in the surroundings. So, in order to protect them from infections, parents unknowingly play a part of destroying their child’s immunity by over protecting them and not letting them have even essential contact with the environmental sources”.
So, next time if your child gets seasonal fever or cough, please understand it’s a natural phenomenon of the body. Don’t just over react and over do things unless it’s critical. Also, it is very important to let kids go out and take the challenges. If they are constantly kept in over sanitized and pampered environment, they will get into the habit of keeping indoors, watching TV, playing video games or mobile games. Bring them up in a way, that they are able to face situations on their own.
Either way it’s important for parents to improve their child’s immunity through regular dose of vaccinations during early years and stop being over protective so that their immune system gets stronger with growing age because if nothing challenges their immune system, they will develop disease receptive bodies, easily responding to epidemics. So, don’t play with your child’s health and life and always trust your doctor. Skipping vaccines or choosing a vaccine of your preference is generally not a good idea. Vaccinations begin right after the baby is born only to prevent any future infections your child might suffer in future.
It is very interesting to know that our gut flora contains bacteria which play an important role in modulating our immune response especially in early childhood. A child starts acquiring these beneficial bacteria right from birth from mother’s body and surrounding environment. If these bacteria are eliminated from gut by inappropriate use of antibiotics it affects child’s immunity and immune response. Parents should be aware with this fact and should avoid use of antibiotics for each and every mild illness like cold, diarrhoea etc by consulting their doctors.
The most important first line of defense is to provide a healthy lifestyle in children. A general good-health guideline is the best step one can follow to keep the immune system strong and healthy. Our immune system, functions better when protected from environmental assaults and bolstered by healthy-living strategies such as:
* Avoiding passive smoking and pollution.
* Attending outdoor games, physical activity and doing regular exercise.
* Get adequate sleep with punctuality in daily routine.
* Take steps to avoid infection, such as washing hands and maintain basic hygiene.
* Get regular immunization as scheduled for your child.
* Maintain a healthy weight by avoiding high calorie dense junk food like Pizzas,
Burger, fruit juices etc.
* Eating diets with high in vitamins and micronutrients like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Vitamin A plays a role in infection and maintaining mucosal surfaces. Its deficiency is associated with impaired immunity and increased risk of infectious disease.
Vitamin D is produced by the skin when exposed to sunlight, signals an antimicrobial response to the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It also helps in growth of bones and should be supplemented to children right from birth.
Zinc is a trace element essential for cells of the immune system, and zinc deficiency affects the ability of T cells and other immune cells to function as they should.
* Diet should also include Probiotics which are good bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, that can safely dwell in digestive tract. Probiotics acts like normal flora of gut and to some extent prevent infection and helps in early recovery from illness like diarrhea. Taking probiotics will replenish the good bacteria that get knocked out together with “bad” bacteria when children take antibiotics. Foods, drinks, and supplements with probiotics are everywhere these days, but only some probiotic strains are proven so choose them carefully for common health issues, like tummy troubles.
Moreover, parenting is all about understanding signs and symptoms and nobody can understand your child more than you. As the famous saying goes, ‘Prevention is better than cure’. Then why put your child through the risk of infections when they can be prevented through vaccinations, appropriate antibiotics usage and giving them a healthy life style.
(The author is Consultant Paediatrician BL Super Speciality Hospital)
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