Respiratory tract infections among children still on the rise

Rawalpindi
Over 70% of the total child patients visiting paediatric departments operating in two of the three allied hospitals in town are with respiratory tract infections and the incidence of cold, sore throat, cough, flu and pneumonia is still on the rise.
The paediatrics departments operating at Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Holy Family Hospital are receiving a significant number of child patients, particularly below five years of age, with triggered asthma, which is more alarming, said Head of Paediatrics Department at Rawalpindi Medical College Professor Dr. Rai Muhammad Asghar while talking to ‘The News’ on Thursday.
He said that the incidence of flu among child patients having asthma aggravates asthmatic problem and to avoid complications, patients should be safeguarded from cold and getting wet.
He said it is observed that most parents think that the winter season has passed and the spring is about to set in and they do not need to take extra care in the case of children, but it is not the case. Still the allied hospitals are receiving not less than 20% of the total child patients with lower respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia, he explained.
To a query, he said, the spread of respiratory tract infections can be avoided by following simple preventive measures. “By creating sufficient awareness among public, the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections, including cold, runny nose, sore throat, cough and flu among children can be avoided.”
He said that children should be protected from cold by using warm clothing to avoid upper and lower respiratory tract infections while infants should be exclusively breastfed for at least first six months of age to avoid pneumonia. Parents should avoid children from getting wet to avoid pneumonia and children should be kept in clean environment and their rooms should be well ventilated, he said.
Parents must be aware of the fact that for protection from pneumonia, all children below five years of age must be administered pneumococcal vaccine and haemophilias influenza type B (HIB) vaccine which is available under Expanded Program on Immunisation, said Dr. Rai.
He added that administration of measles vaccine is also a must for every child. In case a child has missed any of the said vaccines, parents can take him or her to the allied hospitals where these vaccines are available for all children free of cost, he said.
He added that upper respiratory tract infections are highly contagious and can be passed by tiny droplets produced during sneezing or coughing of infected persons or children and parents of infected children should take extra care to avoid spread of the infection.
He said that parents should be aware of the fact that pneumonia is one of the top killers of children below five years of age that claims not less than 70000 lives in Pakistan every year. The incidence of pneumonia should not be taken as lightly because through prevention and in time management of the cases, more than 70 per cent of the deaths can be avoided, said Dr. Rai.
Talking of the symptoms of pneumonia, he said fast breathing and lower chest wall in drawing are the main symptoms of pneumonia that may be of two types. A patient of severe pneumonia must need admission to the hospital while simple pneumonia patients can be treated at home, he explained.
He said a patient of severe pneumonia also suffer from difficulty in breathing with severe respiratory distress along with central cyanosis in which colour of hands and feet particularly gets bluish.
Dr. Rai said that children suffering from either severe or simple pneumonia must be taken to the nearest healthcare facility without wastage of time and must be examined by a qualified physician. General cough syrups and medicines for cold available in market are contraindicated among young children as they may cause life-threatening complications, he said.
He said that safe home remedies instead of general cough suppressants and flu syrups should be given to children like lukewarm green tea with honey and soups.