Walks for two days, stays at home for two weeks — why do children in kindergarten always get sick with ARVI?

“Sasha has a fever, come get him” is a familiar story for most parents of preschoolers. Why children get ARVI so often and whether something can be done about it, we’ll figure it out together with pediatrician Elena Doroshina, PhD, head of the pediatric department of Branch No. 1 of the Vishnevsky Hospital of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

It is not ARVI itself that is dangerous, but possible complications

Kindergartens are opening en masse in the fall, together with the start of cold season. Children return from different parts of the country and naturally bring with them new viruses and bacteria, which they exchange amicably. And, naturally, they start to get sick. Let's talk specifically about viruses, because in 90% of cases children suffer from acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI).

Important!

In everyday life, ARVI is often called a cold and it is believed that the cause of the disease is hypothermia or draft. But this is not so: the cause of ARVI can only be an infectious agent. If the doctor cannot determine the causative agent of the disease — a virus or a bacterium, then the child is diagnosed with “acute respiratory disease” (ARI). span>

The virus enters the child’s body through airborne droplets: through the respiratory system and mucous membranes. When settling on the mucous membranes, the virus releases toxins, which are carried throughout the body through the circulatory system. I note that clinical manifestations can be associated not only with viral toxins, but also with reactions of the immune system. For example, the release of cytokines contributes to an increase in temperature. It usually takes several days from the moment of infection to the first symptoms. Whether a child gets sick and how severely depends on his or her immunity and susceptibility to a particular virus.

In most cases, ARVI in preschoolers is mild, but parents need to keep their finger on the pulse, because even the most harmless sniffles can result in complications — bronchitis, otitis media and other unpleasant things. The child needs to be constantly monitored and treatment adjusted.

Important!

Antibiotics are not prescribed for viral infections. They are powerless against viruses and can only cope with bacterial flora.

You can use “heavy artillery” in the form of antibiotics only as prescribed by a doctor, when it becomes clear that a bacterial infection has joined the viral infection. For example, we see that 5-7 days have passed since the onset of the disease, the child is recovering. And suddenly, against the background of positive dynamics, his temperature rises, some new complaints appear — the second wave of malaise begins. The child needs to be carefully examined, a general blood test taken, and his lungs listened to. And if necessary, change the treatment regimen.

COVID-19 is also an acute respiratory viral infection, only quite severe

The causes of ARVI are different — usually rhinoviruses, influenza and parainfluenza viruses, adenoviruses, enteroviruses and the notorious coronaviruses. What they have in common is their ability to affect common target organs: the nasopharynx, oral cavity, larynx, bronchi and lungs. Most often, children suffer from rhinoviruses; the infectious process is localized at the level of the upper respiratory tract and proceeds normally.

But the same COVID-19, which is caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is much more dangerous, because it affects not only the bronchopulmonary system, but also the urinary system, the gastrointestinal tract, the central nervous system, and all other systems.

Elena Aleksandrovna Doroshina expert
Head of the pediatric department of Branch No. 1 of the Vishnevsky Hospital of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Didn’t go to kindergarten, will get sick more at school — how children’s immunity is formed

Many parents worry that their child goes to kindergarten for a week and then gets sick for two weeks. The important thing here is not that he is sick in principle, but how exactly he is sick, says Elena Doroshina. If he just has regular snot without any complications, then that's one story. There is no crime here, sooner or later the body will adapt, but for now we just need to relieve the symptoms by dripping saline or seawater-based preparations into the nose. On the recommendation of a doctor and if necessary, antipyretic and vasoconstrictor drops can be given.

And if the child is sick with obstruction, with complications in the form of otitis, bronchitis, laryngitis, croup. If every disease requires the prescription of antibiotics, if we cannot cope with it symptomatically, then, of course, it is better to take such a child out of kindergarten. And maybe by school age he will outgrow these diseases.

Important!

If your baby is constantly and seriously ill, check to see if he has primary immunodeficiency (PID). This is a congenital disease that affects the functioning of the immune system. PID is when the immune system from birth cannot fully perform its functions. A person has to deal with severe infectious diseases — pneumonia, purulent otitis media, abscesses. Moreover, these diseases develop from the most common colds, repeat endlessly and each time require antibacterial therapy.

Strengthening the immune system — five simple ways

A child’s body forms its own immune defense, but it’s good if adults help it a little, or at least don’t interfere. Let's see what we can do to improve the health of a preschooler in order to protect children both from the viruses themselves and from serious complications.

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