Coronavirus Hygiene Recommendations for Children

Coronavirus is setting off alarm bells in virtually every country in the world. Here are some facts about it and some recommendations for the children in our household.

Coronavirus has interrupted normal life in most countries around the world. Tens of thousands of cases have been reported, with thousands of deaths too. In this article, we’ll be telling you some general information, along with some coronavirus hygiene recommendations for the youngest ones in the household.

Coronavirus hygiene recommendations for children

What is the coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that usually affect animals. Within this family, there are many different types. Some of them can mutate and end up infecting people.

This is the case with the SARS-CoV-2 strain. This strain started in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. Since then, its ease of spread has led to a dramatic increase in the number of cases worldwide.

What symptoms does it produce?

For most people who have the infection, coronavirus is an asymptomatic infection. That is, the person doesn’t show any signs that they’re ill. Most commonly, especially in children, it produces mild, nonspecific symptoms, such as a cold.

Mostly, these symptoms are a dry cough, fever and shortness of breath. It can also produce muscular pain, tiredness and general malaise.

However, this isn’t always the case. In a minority of cases, this virus can cause pneumonia or even death from respiratory failure. These cases occur mainly in vulnerable people, such as the elderly, or those with a depressed immune system.

How is the coronavirus transmitted?

Transmission of the virus between people occurs through small particles that travel in the air. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, these particles release and may travel 1 or 2 meters. The virus may spread even if the infected person has no symptoms.

These particles can stay on everyday objects such as tables or doorknobs. Or they can fall directly on someone. When an uninfected person touches an infected object and then touches his or her hands, nose, or mouth, the virus can enter.

Can the coronavirus be treated?

Although there’s no specific curative treatment for this virus yet, some antivirals, that appear to work, are being tested. These are especially for use in severe cases.

The current treatment is for the symptoms. Doctors treat it with painkillers and medicines for fever, if the patient has one.

We must realize that it’s a virus and so antibiotics will never be effective, and it’s a mistake to use them as prevention or treatment.

How can we avoid getting infected?

These recommendations are useful for the children of the house, as well as for the adults. Avoiding contagion will depend on the precautionary and hygienic measures we take. Some measures that should be carried out are:

• When coughing and sneezing, cover your nose and mouth with your elbow
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes continuously
• Use disposable tissues and throw them away after each use
• Finally, the most important measure is hand hygiene

Health recommendations against coronavirus: why is hand hygiene so important?

We use our hands constantly for everything that we do. With them, we touch different objects, people, and ourselves, and so they’re the most frequent means of transmission.

Hand washing is essential in order to reduce the risk of contagion. All of us should wash our hands several times a day, especially:

• Before and after going to the bathroom
• After sneezing, coughing, or blowing our nose
• After contact with someone who sneezes or coughs
• When touching public objects such as parts of the subway or bus
• Before eating

It’s important to wash your hands at the right time and rub all your fingers, and the back and palm of the hand with soap and water. Make sure you don’t miss any part of your hand. If necessary, the process should be repeated. Finally, dry your hands with a disposable towel.

So, as far as the health recommendations against coronavirus are concerned…

Instilling this in our children so that they can apply it in their daily lives is fundamental in order for them to act actively and correctly. Of course, we’ll also have to encourage them to notify an adult of any symptoms they may notice so that the necessary measures can be taken.