Do children need to pay off their "immunization debt" after the epidemic? Expert advice on how to reduce respiratory infections in children after the start of school | Immunomodulators | Epidemic
As school is about to start and autumn is approaching, children are entering a season of high incidence of respiratory diseases. During the COVID-19, people wearing masks "stayed at home" and had significantly less contact with the outside world, leading to the global phenomenon of "incomplete" immune function of people. Once the external environment is exposed and exposed more, the risk of disease in the population will increase, and foreign experts refer to this phenomenon as "immune debt". How to prepare for the high incidence season of diseases in advance? Recently, Professor Hong Jianguo from the Department of Pediatrics at the First Affiliated People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine provided guidance on disease prevention for parents.
A balanced diet does not require excessive supplementation of trace elements
Clinically, it has been found that many children with recurrent respiratory infections have a preference for food. Some consume too much protein, while others do not eat vegetables or eat too little. How to achieve dietary balance? Hong Jianguo introduced that the basic nutritional needs of humans are protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Children's growth requires high-quality protein, which generally comes from eggs, eggs, milk, red meat, and white meat. Some people only eat white meat, and their bodies may lack iron; Some people only eat red meat, which may put a heavier burden on their bodies, so nutritional balance is very important. In addition, various vegetables are rich in vitamins and trace elements, which are also essential.
For children who are picky eaters, vitamins can be supplemented, but both vitamins and trace elements are limited, and excessive consumption can have the opposite effect. Expert example: Some children supplement too much vitamin D, and formula milk powder already contains vitamins and calcium supplements. Adding calcium supplements and vitamins will exceed the limit. For example, zinc. The proportion of children lacking zinc in Shanghai is very low. Unless all drinking water at home is strictly filtered, the probability of children lacking zinc is very low. Therefore, there is no need to supplement zinc specifically in daily life.
Experts also remind that preventing respiratory infections requires developing good hygiene habits, paying attention to hand hygiene, maintaining fresh indoor air, and avoiding crowded areas during disease outbreaks.
Multiple channels to help acquire more immunity
From an immunological perspective, children can only reach adult immunity levels around the age of 7, so early school-age children are more susceptible. Children with recurrent respiratory infections need to achieve immune function repair, which can be supported by traditional Chinese medicine or supplemented by Western medicine. At present, auxiliary drugs on the market, such as bacterial lysates, can also help children enhance their immunity to a certain extent.
Hong Jianguo said that the so-called bacterial solute is a composite preparation composed of several common bacteria dissolved. The basic mechanism of immune preparations is similar to that of specific immune mechanisms, and their specificity is weak, which means they are not as precise as vaccines. However, due to the relatively large molecular weight of immune preparations, their range of action may be wider. For children with recurrent respiratory infections, it is recommended to take bacterial immune modulators before the high incidence season each year. For severe cases, two courses of treatment can be taken in the first year, and then supplemented one month before the high incidence season each year to restore immune function to a relatively complete state.
Specific immunity is equally essential. Clinical data shows that the proportion of severe cases of influenza superimposed by COVID-19 will increase. Children are advised to inject influenza vaccine in the gradual influenza season after school starts. Experts explain that there is a global consensus that vaccination can significantly reduce the risk of contracting influenza and severe influenza. At present, there are two options for influenza vaccines: trivalent and quadrivalent. It is recommended to receive timely vaccination before the flu season each year.
