Don't let the flu "target" your baby during visits

A few days ago, four or five parents brought their 27-day-old babies to the Wenzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for emergency treatment. It turned out that after the baby came home from the delivery room, relatives and friends kept visiting and congratulating them. Not long after, the baby developed nasal congestion, and his breathing gradually became heavier. He couldn't eat or sleep well. After the consultation, the doctor found out that the baby had influenza and was arranged to be admitted to the neonatal department.

Babies have weak immune systems and poor ability to adapt to the environment, so the following three points during family visits can give influenza an opportunity to take advantage.

1. There is a high flow of people during the visit, and visitors come from different places, so they are easily exposed to various influenza viruses during travel or social activities. For example, if they take public transportation and are in a closed space with influenza patients, they may become virus carriers.

2. Some visitors do not develop good hygiene habits. They do not wash their hands or wash their hands improperly before contacting newborns, and do not change their clothes, which can easily bring viruses on their hands and clothes to the baby. During the peak influenza season, if you do not wear a mask correctly or take off the mask frequently during visits, the droplets produced by coughing and sneezing will carry the virus and spread in the air, which can be inhaled by newborns and cause infection.

3. During the visit, the number of people indoors increases, the space is relatively small, and the air circulation is poor, which greatly increases the probability of virus transmission.

Scientific visits are crucial, and the following aspects should be done well:

1. Control the number of visitors and duration: It is recommended that no more than 2-3 people visit each time, and the duration should be controlled within 20-30 minutes. Let the baby rest in a relatively quiet environment with less traffic to reduce the risk of infection; choose to visit when the baby is in a better mental state, and avoid feeding and sleeping time.

2. Strictly implement hand washing and disinfection: Each visitor should change into clean indoor slippers after entering the room. Before touching the newborn, wash hands with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds, or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. If you have just come back from outside, it is best to change clothes before touching the baby to prevent the transmission of external germs to the baby. If you have cold symptoms such as coughing and runny nose, you need to wear a mask correctly, and it is best to come back to visit after you recover.

3. Avoid kissing newborns: Adults may carry various germs in their mouths. Kissing newborns can easily transmit germs to babies and cause diseases such as herpes virus and Helicobacter pylori. Visitors can express their love by speaking softly and caressing gently instead of kissing.

4. Keep quiet and keep a distance: Newborns have sensitive hearing. When visiting, try to speak softly and avoid making loud noises or sudden noises that may scare the baby. At the same time, do not watch the baby closely and keep a safe distance of 1-2 meters from the crib to reduce the risk of droplet transmission.

5. Maintain a suitable indoor environment: During the visiting period, there will be frequent activities at home, so open the windows for ventilation in time for about 30 minutes each time to keep the air fresh, but avoid letting the wind blow directly on the baby.

Lin Xuxu, deputy chief nurse of the neonatal department of Wenzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine