With students resuming in-person classes in schools across the UAE, education community and parents are showing much-needed relief as life is returning to normalcy. However, as students return to classrooms, it is important to follow necessary precautions to prevent infections and illnesses. Paediatricians and nutritionists are raising awareness about the need to follow safety measures including providing adequate sleep, hydration, nutrition and physical exercise for children with the aim of maintaining high level of immunity and good health.

Speaking to media, Dr Abhijeet Trivedi, specialist, Paediatrics and Neonatology, Aster Hospital, Mankhool, stated that there are many mothers with children in the age group of six to ten years who are experiencing anxiety about their children's health and wellbeing. They often ask about precautions needed to prevent infections, medications and vaccination requirement before sending children to schools.

Dr Puneet Wadhwa, specialist paediatrician at Prime Hospital, Dubai, explained that it is natural for parents to worry, especially about younger children.

“Schools will be following strict protocols of wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, using hand sanitisers and being vaccinated. These will not only help against COVID-19, but also against all viral infections," Dr Puneet Wadhwa said.

Dr Wadhwa added that children are not required to take multi-vitamins to strengthen their immunity. Instead, a balanced and nutritious diet, eight to ten hours of sleep, good hydration and physical activity will boost their immunity and wellbeing.

"Currently, owing to online learning, children’s routines have been disrupted. Some were sleeping late, getting up late and had too much screen time due to online learning. Coming back to school will help mothers regularise their children’s routine and that will be a great immunity booster," he noted.

As children return to physical classes, it is important that they remain vigilant in order to prevent general infections. Significantly, building immunity requires children to get exposed to viruses and bacteria to activate antibodies and allow their body to regain overall strength. Mothers are also required to be careful about good food and focus on relevant factors to strengthen health and wellbeing of their children.

Dr Abhijeet Trivedi underlined younger children in primary sections are more likely to be infected as they have been away from school for long. Therefore, he asked mothers to be on the lookout for symptoms of infections such as cough, cold, fever.

Furthermore, they must be aware about other bacterial infections that can infect the respiratory tract such as Streptococcal throat as well as eye infections such as conjunctivitis.

Vaccination schedule

Children are required to follow school immunisation calendar according to their age. Moreover, children above ten years are required to take their DPT booster. Influenza vaccine is also available across the UAE to help the body in preventing various forms of respiratory diseases. Dr Wadhwa recommends influenza vaccine for children with asthma and other respiratory vulnerabilities.

"While this does not give protection against any other virus, it is a well-known fact that when a child is down with flu, his or her respiratory system is more vulnerable to contracting any other virus. Therefore, it is important that parents make sure they have updated their child’s immunisation calendar," he explained.

Mental health matters

As the routine is going change for many children, it is important for parents to focus on mental health as well. Mental health experts at Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA) have called on parents to help children in getting accustomed to changing routine and daily schedule in in-person school learning.

Dr Doaa Barakat, consultant, Child Psychiatry, Al Ain Hospital, has shared some valuable tips for parents. He asked both parents and teachers to be patient with children as they adapt to another ‘new normal’.

"Open and frequent communication between parents and teachers is advised to make sure your child is acclimating to in-person learning to the best of their ability. Teachers must guide students and break down the syllabus into shorter lessons with frequent breaks and activities, rewarding students who are abiding by the rules and regulations,” Dr Barakat explained.

Doctors have cautioned parents about potential hearing or visual deficiencies among children as they spend majority of their time in front of lighted screens and headphone during online learning. In this regard, Dr Hisham Zidan, ENT specialist physician, Al Towayya Children’s Specialty Center, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, recommended parents to bring their children for ENT examinations during the first week of school.

"Children have been attending school virtually for the past two years with hours in front of the screen and with headphones on their ears. We must examine youngsters to ensure there is no short or long-term damage to their ears," he added.

Furthermore, dental health and oral hygiene of children is also important as they have become exposed to sweets, fizzy drinks and fast food at home. Dentists have called on parents to ensure oral cavity examination for their children before they return to schools for physical learning.

“Parents must make sure that children as young as one-year old visit their paediatric dentist for regular checkups as dental health is vital to a child’s overall wellbeing. Dental issues can affect students’ ability to concentrate in class and may be a reason for missing school," Dr Bakr Akram Al-Alousi, dentist, Al Towayya Children’s Specialty Center, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, said.

He urged parents and teachers to remind children about the importance of dental hygiene, including brushing their teeth after meals and avoiding soda and candy. He also suggested to avoid drinking milk before sleeping as lactose is a sugar and sugar must be avoided before bed.

Handy tips to ensure higher immunity among children: 

· Ensure proper rest for children. At least 8-10 hours of sleep will help in healing and kickstarting the immune system.

· Good hydration is necessary in view of rising heat exposure

· Including large portion of fruit, vegetables, proteins, dairy in diet to strengthen immunity

· Appropriate dose of citrus fruit such as grapes, oranges, lemon, which are rich in Vitamin C to boost immune response

· Provide multivitamins and enzymes through natural nutrition. For instance, sweet potatoes and carrots provide necessary Vitamin A, zinc is found in meat and sea foods, Vitamin E is present in nuts and vegetable oil. Furthermore, dairy products are good source of calcium for healthy bones.

· Include yoghurt, kefir and other essential products in children’s diet to clean the gut with probiotics

Parents must also be on the lookout for signs of fatigue and exhaustion among children as they go for in-person classes. Other symptoms can be:

• Fever

• Sore throat

• Cough, Running nose

• Shortness of breath

• Loose motions

• Headache, Myalgia

Parents, children, teachers and school authorities must take necessary COVID-19 safety precautions including: 

• Taking vaccination as per guidelines

• Wearing a mask

• Maintaining social distancing

• Avoiding group and cluster gatherings

•Cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched items such as doorknobs, faucets, keyboards, tablets

• Regularly washing hands in schools

• Stay home if sick