A retired Paediatric Nurse, Mrs Uzoma Ojukwu, has urged parents to always protect their children under five years against cold, as the rains increase in Enugu.
Ojukwu, a retired Senior Nurse with Uwani General Hospital, Enugu, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Friday.
She said it was necessary to protect children against cold because they were vulnerable to it.
The retired nurse noted that the developing immune systems of children under five years were not strong enough to fight or keep off infections.
According to her, children are yet to build up immunity against the many different infections in circulation.
“Upper respiratory infections, which sometime occur during the rainy season are caused by viruses that spread through droplet transmission from coughs or sneezes and contact with contaminated objects,” she said.
Ojukwu noted that most cold symptoms in babies were mild, including runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, mild fever, dry cough, loss of appetite, among others.
She called on parents to consult a paediatrician whenever their babies present any of these symptoms.
The expert also advised mothers to immunise their children when due and always protect them with sweaters.
Ojukwu suggested keeping children’s feet and heads warm with thick socks and head wears during cold to avoid the symptoms associated with cold weather. (NAN)