Your child and crèche syndrome
After enrolling your pre-school or day care child in a crèche or school, you will find that they easily get sick. This is because they get the crèche syndrome. In this article, DUMASE ZGAMBO-MAPEMBA writes on this subject.
When Palesa Mkhalipi who lives in Area 49, Lilongwe kept on taking her toddler daughter to the hospital for recurrent flu, headaches, fatigue, acute otitis media (middle ear infections) and urinary tract infection (UTI), she did not know that her daughter was suffering from the crèche syndrome—until a paediatrician told her.
Crèche syndrome as described by News24.com is when young children come down with repeated episodes of infections as a result of exposure to other children at school or day-care centres.
In a study done in the United States of America by the Centres for Disease Control titled Preventing Pneumococcal Disease Among Infants and Young Children; Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP) MMWR, it was found that attendance at a group daycare centre during the preceding three months was associated with an approximately 2.3-fold increase in invasive disease among children aged 12-23 months, and a 3.2-fold increased risk among children aged 24-59 months.
But what causes this cycle of infections?
Dr. Adamson Muula, an associate professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at University of Malawi, College of Medicine says nursery schools and any congregation of children is a breeding ground for communicable diseases.
“Many of the infections are from viruses that are spread through dirty hands, coughs and sneezes. Older children are better off, because they can be hygienic but also their immunity is reasonably developed. Younger children whose hand washing is less than adequate…are at risk.”
How can it be prevented?
Shakira Issa, owner and principal of Growing Star Montessori Nursery School in Blantyre says parents are encouraged to keep children who are sick at home.
Issa says: “We normally send children home when we notice they are coughing and sneezing or look sickly. This way we keep the virus from spreading. We also advise parents to give children vitamins and immune boosters to those that easily get sick.”
She further says her school sanitises the classrooms and bathrooms every Friday and encourage children to frequently wash their hands.
According to News24.com, parents battling with this endless cycle of illnesses should encourage children to eat green, orange and yellow vegetables–broccoli, carrots and butternut. It further recommends that children should take Zinc and Vitamin A supplements and probiotics to strengthen the immune system.
Probiotics can be locally found in fermented food such as most yoghurts, buttermilk and cheese.
