The importance of children’s health and well-being cannot be stressed enough, as it directly impacts their physical and mental health not just in the present but also in the future. Healthy children are more likely to become healthy adults. To discuss some of the ailments and conditions that affect children, paediatrician, Dr. Harshad Kamat was invited on The Navhind Times’ talk show Talk from the Heart which aired on the Goa 365 channel.
A renowned paediatrician with over 30 years experience, Kamat highlighted some new ailments that are common today. “The spectrum of illnesses is changing due to the fact that vaccinations have come about. Also the quality of life of people in general has changed; that is hygiene awareness has increased. So there has been a kind of shift in the epidemiology of diseases like diarrhoea and malaria have reduced but dengue has increased. So there are changes in the landscape that occur and a large part is to do with the kind of lifestyle that we follow,” he stated.
Measles though uncommon in many countries due to vaccination, is still a global health concern. “Measles or urvure as we call it in Konkani has been around for a long time,” he explained, “It is a highly infectious viral disease however if the child has received at least two doses of the MMR vaccine which covers, measles, mumps and rubella then he/she is protected against it.” He elaborated further on the importance of the vaccine and its dosage by giving an example of the recent case in Texas, USA.
For the common cold and fever most parents rely on a paracetamol but with the many controversies regarding these medicines, there is a great deal of confusion in the mind of parents. “This is an area where most parents make mistakes. I do understand how worried parents can get but documenting the child’s temperate is crucial,” he said, “Touching a child’s forehead to gauge the temperature is not accurate as in younger children the head is the heat-losing part and if it is a very hot ambient temperature like in summer the child’s head will feel hot but that is not fever.” He then explained how to correctly record the child’s temperature using a digital thermometer. He also expounded on the role of fever in killing germs and gave some remedies to handle low grade fever in children.
With regards to diarrhoea, he firstly explained the difference between diarrhoea and dysentery and said, “Diarrhoea is usually a viral condition that does not require antibiotics whereas dysentery is usually a bacterial infection and needs to be treated with antibiotics.” Besides the medication and oral rehydration solutions, he also recommended kanji, buttermilk, soups, lime water, etcetera. “Fluids are very essential in diarrhoea as the body loses water and needs to be rehydrated. However aerated beverages are to be avoided at all times,” he stressed.
Other topics discussed included epilepsy, obesity, breast-feeding, screen-time and more.
