Strategies for protecting children's health during flood prevention

Author: Li Linlin, Chief Physician, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University

Reviewer: Yang Guanglu, Chief Physician, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University

During flood prevention, children often face multiple health threats. In addition to common infectious diseases, skin problems, and respiratory diseases caused by environmental changes, we also need to pay special attention to changes in children's psychological state. Floods may cause home damage, separation of relatives, and other emergencies, which have a profound impact on children's psychology and may even leave long-term psychological trauma.

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1. Build a comprehensive health protection network

1. Pay attention to flood prevention trends: Parents should pay close attention to local flood prevention trends, understand the safety of water sources, and avoid letting children come into contact with potentially contaminated water.

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2. Scientifically arrange diet and nutrition: During the flood prevention period, food supply may be affected. Parents need to stock up on easy-to-store and nutritionally balanced food in advance. Avoid giving children expired, spoiled or unknown food.

3. Pay attention to psychological counseling: Children have relatively weak psychological endurance and are prone to negative emotions such as fear and anxiety when facing sudden natural disasters. Parents should give their children enough care and support and encourage them to express their feelings. Parents can use simple psychological counseling techniques, such as deep breathing and positive guidance, to help children relieve psychological pressure.

4. Strengthen the cultivation of daily hygiene habits: During the flood prevention period, it is particularly important to maintain good personal hygiene habits. Parents should educate their children to wash their hands, take a bath, and change clothes frequently to reduce the risk of infection. At the same time, pay attention to keeping the living environment clean and dry, and disinfect regularly.

Prepare an emergency medical kit: In order to deal with possible emergencies, parents should prepare a children's emergency medical kit in advance, including common medicines (such as antipyretics, antidiarrhea drugs, anti-allergic drugs, etc.), disinfectants, Band-Aids, thermometers, etc.

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2. Protecting Children’s Health and Safety

1. Pay attention to special groups of children: For children with chronic diseases or allergies, parents need to pay more attention to their health, ensure adequate supply of medicines, and keep in touch with pediatricians at all times.

2. Avoid excessive exposure to information about natural disasters: Children have limited psychological endurance. Parents should avoid letting them be overly exposed to negative information about flood prevention and floods to avoid increasing their psychological burden.

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3. Use technological means for remote monitoring: When conditions permit, parents can use wearable devices and other technological means to remotely monitor their children’s health status and promptly detect and handle abnormal situations.

Protecting children's health during flood prevention is a systematic project that requires the joint efforts of parents, medical workers and all sectors of society. By strengthening environmental monitoring, scientifically arranging diets, focusing on psychological health counseling, cultivating good hygiene habits and preparing emergency medical kits, we can build a solid health defense line for children so that they can thrive in the face of natural disasters. Let us work together to create a safer and healthier growth environment for children.