Seven-year-old David was kneeling at the corner of the living room with hands held high beyond his head and eyes shut. Young David’s father was disturbed about the quietness that welcomed him that day and started calling out to his son who would have started screaming ‘daddy welcome’ the second he walked through the living room door. However, his wife answered from the kitchen half screaming, explaining that David was being punished for running around in the rain. She added that she wouldn’t allow him get sick after exposing himself to the cold which would cost her uncomfortable visits to the paediatric hospital and some good money.
David’s mother is not alone as so many mothers are in the same school of thought. 35-year-old mother of two who works as a secondary school teacher explained that during the rainy season, children are more susceptible to flu and associated illnesses. “As a matter of fact, once the rains start every year, I go looking for my kids’ hospital cards because we treat malaria more frequently. To avoid this, I make sure they are kept warm and protected from the rain at all times.”
In the same manner, 42-year-old mother of four said all hell breaks loose when she catches her children trying to get outside the house scantily dressed during the rain or cold weather. “My last child especially is the biggest culprit. At the sound of the rain, she wants to run outside to sing ‘rain, rain, go away’ though it is an adorable sight but I don’t allow it because of her safety. Her cries would almost bring the house down but a mother has to do what a mother has to do. Children easily catch illnesses during the cold rainy season and it is my duty to protect them,” she said.
However, Dr. John Okeniyi, Consultant Paediatrician/Associate Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex and Obafemi Awolowo University, respectively has said that “it is not particularly true that children fall ill more during the rainy season.” Nonetheless, the paediatrician added that the pattern and types of childhood illnesses may have seasonal variations.
While elucidating on the seasons predominant in the country, Okeniyi explained that Nigeria has two broad seasons, harmattan which is dry and extends from ending of September to March, give or take. He added that the daytimes were hot but the nights were mostly cool. The other season in the country, he explained, was the rainy season which spans from April all through September. “Respiratory tract infections, that is common cold and catarrah, sinusitis, mid-ear infections, meningitis and diarrhoea diseases are generally more common in the dry seasons,” Okeniyi said. “Also, children tend to suffer more severe episodes of issues such as asthma and vaso-occlusive crises in sickle cell anaemia.”
However, the expert said that “there is an upsurge of cases and severity of malaria during the rainy season. Thus, children tend to manifest this with febrile convulsions, hypoglycaemia, coma and severe anaemia requiring blood transfusions.”
He added that diseases such as Kwashiorkor also tend to be at peak incidence at about July.
According to him, “some environmental changes occur with the changing seasons that may predispose children to some of these illnesses. For instance, floods and surface water contaminations may heighten the risks of gut infections, diarrhoea disease and cholera outbreaks while the mosquito breeding hotspots in water puddles lessen the incidence of malaria during the dry seasons. Unfortunately, the dusty harmattan winds contribute to spread of droplet infections, so skin diseases; meningitis and airway infections tend to be on the increase during our dry season.”
He admonished that parents should endeavour to give their children or ensure their children have at least two births daily. “This washes and cleanses their skins of germs and should be done preferably in the morning, noon and night times.”
To further fortify their children, the expert advised that meals should be balanced to provide vitamins essential for strengthening the gut and airways against infections. “Mangoes abound in the rainy seasons for this and pawpaws do same in the dry seasons. Fruits must be cleaned or rinsed with clean water before consumption or peeling,” he said.
He also encouraged parents to ensure that children drink enough water to prevent dehydration. “Water for drinking must be made potable by all necessary means which includes filtration and/or boiling.”
To combat malaria in the rainy season, he also advised that children under five years of age should sleep under insecticide treated nets.
In other to be adequately protected, Okeniyi said that “It is also important that children receive all the necessary children vaccinations timely.”
“If any child is noticed to be unwell, he or she should be presented to a hospital as soon as possible rather than procrastination, self-medications, patronization of quacks of all sorts,” he admonished.
and then