Summer and the virus: pediatricians' advice for protecting children

Use slippers and towels personal in the pool; be careful with food by avoiding pool water tap or unpeeled fruit while traveling; protect yourself from sun, wearing a hat and avoiding exposure from 11am at 5pm; check your scalp regularly for presence of lice; always consult your pediatrician in case of doubts. These are the recommendations of the Technical Table on Infectious Diseases and vaccinations of the Italian Society of Pediatrics (SIP) for the children during the summer, a period in which they are more widespread skin infections, gastroenteritis, poisoning food and allergic reactions to insect bites or marine animals. Among skin infections, impetigo is one of the infections most common bacterial infections in summer: in mild forms, a simple local treatment with topical antiseptics and antibiotics, while in more extensive cases oral antibiotics are necessary, always on medical prescription. But frequenting public places increases also the risk of skin mycosis, preventable with the use of personal accessories and good hygiene. Lice are transmitted by direct head-to-head contact or through the exchange of personal items such as hats, towels or brushes, and it is important to check regularly the scalp. Especially in children under 3 years old they are frequent viral or bacterial gastroenteritis. When traveling in Countries at risk, recommendations are to drink water bottled, avoid raw vegetables, unpeeled fruit and raw shellfish, washing your hands often. Experts warn against bee, wasp or spider stings hornets, but also mosquitoes, which in exotic countries can be vectors of infectious diseases. At sea, the bites of jellyfish can be treated with sea water and jelly-based gels aluminum chloride; those of weever fish cause pain intense, to be relieved with heat. Do not use ammonia, alcohol or ice. "It is important not to let our guard down and take measures preventive measures, without giving up the pleasure of holidays", underlines Susanna Esposito, coordinator of the Technical Table "Where prevention is not sufficient, rely on promptly to the pediatrician is essential for proper management correct solution to every problem", concludes the SIP president, Rino Augustinians.