Summary report on training on prevention of common childhood diseases

As long as actionable preventive habits are implemented in the family + childcare setting instead of relying on health products and preventive medications, the six-month prevalence of three high-risk diseases, including influenza, hand, foot and mouth, and infectious diarrhea, among children aged 3-6 in the jurisdiction is expected to drop by 30%-40%.； At present, there is no unified "one-size-fits-all solution" for children's immune regulation in the academic community. All preventive measures must match the child's individual immune baseline adjustment. There is no need to copy other people's experience.

On the day of the training, we just talked about children's immune supplements. A mother in the audience held up a box of imported lactoferrin and asked whether the product she spent more than 2,000 yuan on would prevent her children from catching colds if they drank it every day. In response to this issue that everyone is generally concerned about, we also directly spread the opinions of different schools: Pediatricians in the field of Western medicine clearly stated that there is currently no evidence-based medical evidence to prove that ordinary healthy children supplementing lactoferrin and bovine colostrum can reduce the prevalence of colds. In addition to daily supplementation of 400IU of vitamin D, which is clearly required, there is no need to buy other extremely high-priced "immune supplements" ； Child care doctors specializing in traditional Chinese medicine added that for children who are usually picky eaters, have a sallow complexion, and are prone to overeating, using yam, fried malt, and tangerine peel boiled in water to regulate the spleen and stomach is much more cost-effective and safer than taking processed supplements that cost hundreds of dollars. We have included both viewpoints in the training information package. You can choose based on your child's situation. There is no need to stick to one.

To be honest, there are many more cognitive misunderstandings corrected in this training than the "standard answers" given. In the past, many teachers in daycare institutions believed that the higher the frequency of disinfection, the safer it would be. A teacher in a private kindergarten said that their park sprayed chlorine-containing disinfectant spray three times a day, covering all toys and floors. As a result, 28% of children in the park had allergic rhinitis last year. This time, infection control experts directly used this park as an example: They adjusted the disinfection plan at the beginning of this year. Only high-touch areas such as public toys and handrails are wiped with food-grade disinfectant wipes once a day. The floors are only mopped with clean water to ensure at least two hours of ventilation every day. In the past six months, the incidence of rhinitis has dropped directly to 11%. Excessive disinfection will not only destroy the child's respiratory mucosal barrier, but also kill the beneficial bacteria in the environment. On the contrary, the child's immune system will not be properly stimulated, and the child will be more likely to develop allergies and low immunity. As soon as this conclusion was thrown out, many teachers highlighted it in their notes.

There is also a particularly interesting detail. During the intermission of the training, a grandma asked the doctor if her grandson wore five tops and three pairs of pants in the winter, but still caught a cold whenever the wind blew. Was it because his immunity was too low? The doctor touched the back of the child's neck that grandma had brought, and it was full of sweat. He smiled and said that the child's metabolic rate is about 30% higher than that of adults. To judge whether it is hot or cold, just touch the back of the neck. Warm is appropriate. The peripheral circulation of the hands and feet has not yet developed well, so it is normal to be cooler. If you wear too much clothes and sweat, it will make it easier to catch a cold. Grandma patted her thighs and said that she would take off some clothes for the child when she got back.

Of course, this training did not force everyone to have a unified "correct answer". For example, regarding the issue of nose washing with physiological sea salt water, two experts have different opinions: Doctors from the respiratory department believe that during the high season of influenza and hand, foot and mouth, flushing the children's nasal cavity with physiological sea salt water once a day can effectively remove the viruses attached to the nasal cavity and reduce the probability of infection.； However, otolaryngology doctors believe that healthy children without rhinitis or cold symptoms do not need to wash every day. Frequent washing will destroy the normal flora in the nasal cavity and easily cause nasal discomfort. We listed both views at that time and suggested that if your child is prone to nasal congestion or allergies, you can wash it every day. If the child is healthy, there is no need to bother.

I have been working as a community childcare provider for almost 4 years, and I have seen too many parents misinterpret "prevention" as "isolation". They lock their children at home during the hand, foot and mouth epidemic season, and do not let them go out. In fact, it is completely unnecessary. As long as you don't take your children to closed, crowded indoor playgrounds, and wash your hands well after playing with public toys using the seven-step handwashing method, you can play with children normally in the community. Appropriate exposure to a small amount of viruses can stimulate the child's immune system, which is much better than "greenhouse flowers" raised at home.

We received a total of 147 on-site questions during this training, most of which were specific questions about daily care. In the future, we will organize the high-frequency questions into pocket booklets and send them to various communities and childcare institutions next week. In addition, our community health service center opens a free consultation number for children's preventive health care every Wednesday afternoon. If you are not sure about the questions, you can come and ask at any time. It is more reliable than blindly browsing "parenting remedies" on the Internet, right? After all, every child's body is different, and the best prevention method is what suits your family.