Measures to protect the respiratory tract for children

Parents clean upper respiratory tract, keep airway warm, vaccinate, breastfeed for the first 6 months of life.

Associate professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Dieu Thuy, Head of Pediatrics Department (Hanoi Medical University) said that respiratory infection is a common disease in children. This is not a single disease but a combination of colds, sore throat, sinusitis, laryngitis, pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchiolitis ...

In fact, many parents when they see their child showing signs of disease is using antibiotics. However, the doctor said that this is not a good way to protect the respiratory tract for children. Here are some measures parents should take.

Clean upper respiratory tract

Upper respiratory hygiene for children is necessary because the immune system is weak, not strong enough to fight off pathogens such as viruses and bacteria from the outside environment.

Respiratory hygiene should be done in a careful and proper manner to avoid damaging the nasal mucosa of children. Experts recommend isotonic, single-dose, tubular physiological saline with a small designed tip, suitable for infants, prisoners and smooth. This is helpful because it does not scratch the child's nasal mucosa and prevent cross-contamination.

In order to keep the child's respiratory system healthy, every day, parents should pay attention to hygiene the ear, nose and throat areas with physiological saline. Photo: Shutterstock.

Keep airway warm

When a child's airway is cold, the local immune system weakens. Therefore, keeping the child warm is essential when the weather is hot and cold. Parents can keep the child's airway warm by not keeping the air temperature lower than the outside environment.

Vaccination

Immunization is a measure of establishing an active immune system for children, helping them practice training against dangerous diseases. There are more than 20 types of vaccines to prevent tuberculosis, measles, mumps, chicken pox, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, pneumonia, diarrhea, seasonal flu ... that mothers should have children fully vaccinated.

Breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life

Breast milk provides a lot of antibodies for the complete immune system in children. The highest amount of antibodies in breastmilk is in the first 6 months, so breastfeeding during this time is necessary to improve the resistance of the baby.

The World Health Organization recommends, mothers worldwide breastfeed exclusively for the first six months to help children achieve optimal health, growth and development. After that, the child needs to be fed with nutritious foods and continues to breastfeed to 2 years or longer.