Precautions To Keep Children Safe During Floods

The South Indian state Kerala has been severely affected by the ongoing floods which is an outcome of unusually heavy rainfall during the 2018 monsoons.

Kerala Floods 2018 - Facts And Figures

2018 Kerala floods are the worst floods in the state in nearly a century accroding to a report by The Independent. Over 330 people have died while 320,400 were displaced, says a report on Business Standard. 14 districts in Kerala have been placed on high alert. 

On the pious occassion of Onam the entire community is offering support and aid to people who have lost their homes and are living in state organised camps. Kerala has been hit by one of the worst floods in the century. Almost 10,000 kms of national highway and intercity roads are wiped off along with landslides in hilly and marshy areas. This gruesome situation warrants support from all of us and owing to the current situation, people of Kerala have decided to share the joy of onam by helping the affected ones with the feeling of togertherness during this tough time.  

25-year-old Pregnant Mom Rescued; Gives Birth To A Healthy Baby

What gives a sigh of relief amidst the havoc caused by the floods is this news - Sajita, a 25-year-old pregnant mom gives birth to a baby after being rescued by the Indian Navy. According to an article published by IndianExpress, Sajita was spotted by the rescue squad at 8 am this morning (18th of August). A doctor was then lowered to the rooftop to see if Sajita was doing fine enough to be airlifted. It turned out that she was in labor and her water bag had broken - this aided trouble for the recue team.

After getting the doctor's go ahead, around 10 am, Sajita slid herself into the sling and was slowly pulled up amid the roar of the chopper blades. After she boarded the chopper, the rescue team took her to the Indian Navy Hospital around 10:30 am and around 2 pm, she delivered a healthy boy. Kudos to the rescue team, the doctors and mom Sajita who didn't give up and kept fighting!

Precautions To Keep Children Safe During Floods

With situations like flood, there are certain health hazards which surround your family and especially children who are more susceptible to catching diseases due to developing immune system. Here are some steps you should take for your child at home if the area where you live is hit by a flood.

Boiled Water is a Must -

Don’t forget to boil the water and then cool it to room temperature. If your baby is on formula-food, then use this boiled water to prepare it. Diseases like cholera and dysentery are majorly spread due to water contamination hence it is all the more required for children.
 

Food Safety -

For children on solids it’s the time to take super care around food safety. Following the below steps can help containing infections through bacteria and viruses to a significant count.
 

Refrigerate Home Cooked Food -

In case if the food is not consumed. Try and restrict consuming foods which have remained opened for more than 2 hours.
 

Avoid Road-side or hawker fast food junctions during monsoon - 

Especially for kids if they are fond of eating outside. Instead look for a cleaner, hygienic place.
 

Throw Away food -

Foods which may have come in contact with flood / rain water regardless of whether it remained in a closed refrigerator or freezer. In fact, foods which are canned or bottled should be checked for seal pack before buying from stores as contamination in monsoon comes with heavy price!
 

Washing Hand Regularly and Maintaining Hygiene -

Always using good hand washing practices before eating, drinking or touching face areas restricts spreading of contagious diseases and infections. You can also use sanitizers which are children friendly to apply on your hands. As a practise ensure that the same is applied uniformly and then dries up completely before reusing your hands.
 

Clothing and Bedding to be dry –

Moisture is fodder for bacteria and viruses. In the cases where you are unable to dry clothes due to bad weather try and use driers or steam irons to dry the bedding of your child. Also ensure that the child clothes are of cotton and dried completely before its worn by the child.
 

Maintaining Room Temperature –

A healthy room temperature helps in cutting down spread of bacteria to a reasonable extent. Babies are best raised in a thermo neutral environment. Hence try to maintain an ambient temperature around at 28 to 30°C for optimum results.
 

Mosquito and Fly Control -

Mosquitos and flies are companions of stored and dirty water. Try to seek and clear possible rain or flood water storages in and around your home. Spaces such as cooler – water store tanks, water tanks, plastic packaging containing water, flower pots etc. are first ones to look out for.

Apart from water, and upon the consultation of your paediatrician you can extract juices and pulp out of fruits which are rich in antioxidants in Vitamin C for boosting immunity such as cherries, litchee, jamun, peaches and plums. This will also keep the baby hydrated. For children who are on solids you can give the pulp directly in small proportions for them to easily chew and swallow.