Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Common Diseases in Children

Eat a balanced diet with moderate sun exposure, avoid excessive disinfection, and get vaccinated on time； After the onset of the disease, more than 90% of common problems can be solved by grading responses based on mental status, without blindly using medication or excessive medical treatment.

I went out to the clinic last Tuesday, and a young couple rushed in as soon as the consultation started in the morning. They were holding a 3-year-old baby. The baby's nose was blocked and the baby was wheezing. The mother was so anxious that she almost cried. She said that the baby had a runny nose for a day, and she had already been fed acetaminophen, antiviral oral solution and two kinds of probiotics, so she was worried about getting a fever. When I found out, the baby's body temperature was 36.8 and he was in great spirits. His feet were still dangling on my consulting table and he wanted to play with the tongue depressor on my table. Don't tell me, I meet several such "over-stressed" parents a week.

Many parents asked me if they should buy supplements such as lactoferrin and colostrum for their children that claim to improve immunity. In fact, doctors in different fields have different opinions here: The clinical consensus of Western medicine is that as long as the baby has a balanced daily diet of meat, eggs, milk, vegetables and fruits, and does not have innate immune deficiencies, there is no need to take these additional supplements. Many so-called "immunity-improving" effects are not supported by large-scale clinical data, but may increase the metabolic burden. ； Most pediatric doctors of traditional Chinese medicine will suggest that babies with weak spleen and stomach can be given some medicines and foods, such as cooking yam water and Pseudostellariae lean meat soup. However, it is definitely not recommended to give babies casual supplements. My own children have never taken any health care products that claim to improve immunity since they were young. They just make sure to drink 400ml of milk every day, eat enough eggs, change the vegetables, and eat fish twice a week, and rarely have any problems.

Oh, by the way, there are also many parents who love cleanliness. If their children touch a public slide when they go out, they must spray disinfectant gel immediately. When they come home, their clothes must be soaked in disinfectant water. The floors at home must be mopped three times a day with disinfectant. This point is actually quite controversial in the field of infection control: Some people believe that moderate exposure to microorganisms in the environment can help the baby establish a normal intestinal flora and immune barrier. Frequent use of disinfectant products will not only destroy the baby's skin barrier, but may also train harmful bacteria in the environment to become more resistant. ； Others believe that during high-infectious disease seasons, such as influenza and hand, foot and mouth epidemics, proper disinfection can indeed reduce the risk of infection. In fact, you really don’t need to go to extremes. You usually take your children to the amusement park to play. You don’t need to disinfect the facilities before playing. After playing, just wash your hands with running water and soap. Unless there is an infectious disease at home, clean water is enough for mopping the floor. To put it bluntly, a baby's immune system is like a child just learning to walk. You have to let it fall a few times before it can walk steadily. If you keep holding it, it will never learn to walk. I have seen several children with recurring allergic rhinitis. The house is so clean that there is almost no dust, but the children become allergic whenever they touch anything outside.

When it comes to prevention, the topic of vaccines cannot be avoided. Parents often ask me whether I should get the second-class vaccine? Here, the public is right and the mother-in-law is right. Some parents think that the first-class seedlings are required by the state and are definitely necessary. The second-class seedlings are self-funded and are made by businesses to make money. There is no need to use them. ； Some parents also wish that all available vaccines should be provided to their children. In fact, the World Health Organization has long listed pneumococcal vaccine, influenza vaccine, hand, foot and mouth vaccine, and rotavirus vaccine as priority recommended vaccines for children. However, they are classified into the second category due to domestic medical insurance coverage issues. If economic conditions permit, it is enough to give priority to these vaccines. There is no need to vaccinate them all. For example, if the child has never been abroad, there is no need to arrange for some vaccines such as yellow fever and cholera.

If your baby does get sick, don’t panic. My judgment criteria is very simple: whether it’s a cold, fever or diarrhea, you should first look at your mental state. If your child has a fever of 38.5 and can still run around and play and wants to eat and drink, there is no need to rush to the hospital. Give him enough warm water. If the temperature exceeds 38.5, just take some ibuprofen or acetaminophen. The course of a common cold is 3-7 days. Taking medicine can only relieve the symptoms, but cannot shorten the course of the disease. Last time, a father brought his baby to see a doctor. The baby had a fever of 39 degrees, but he was in great spirits and was playing with cars in the clinic. I told him that he didn’t need to prescribe medicine and could just go home and observe. The dad went back with doubts. On the third day, he sent me a message saying that the baby’s fever had gone down and he didn’t take any medicine. But if your baby is only 37.5, but is very exhausted, refuses to eat, is too lazy to respond to calls, or even has vomiting or convulsions, then don’t hesitate and go to the hospital immediately. If the baby has a fever and has convulsions, don't pinch the child or put anything in his mouth. Turn the baby over immediately to avoid choking the vomit in the trachea. Generally, the convulsions will stop on their own after 1-2 minutes. If they stop, just send him to the hospital immediately.

There are also a few common misunderstandings that I have to mention. Many parents give antidiarrheal medicine to their children as soon as they have diarrhea. In fact, this is completely wrong. Diarrhea is actually the body expelling viruses. Stopping diarrhea too early will trap toxins in the body. As long as the baby is given oral rehydration salt III in time to avoid dehydration, most viral diarrhea will heal on its own in about a week. I have seen many parents give their children antidiarrheal medicine, but they will burn instead. This is the reason. Also, don’t give cough medicine to your baby immediately when he or she coughs. Coughing releases phlegm. If the cough is suppressed, the phlegm blocked in the lungs may easily lead to pneumonia. As long as the cough is not causing the baby to fall asleep, just pat the baby on the back more often and drink some warm water or honey (can only be drunk after 1 year old).

In fact, after working as a pediatrician for 8 years, I have never seen a child who never got sick even once from childhood to adulthood. The occasional cold and fever are actually the child's immune system fighting monsters and upgrading. There is really no need to pursue "zero illness" when raising a baby. Don't feel like you are facing a formidable enemy when you see your baby getting sick. Focusing on the core principles and not blindly interfering will be more effective than giving your baby any supplements.