The diseases that concern us most to parents by these heights will come to be those that present with infection in the respiratory system (flu, colds), gastroenteritis, it may be that an outbreak of chickenpox as happened last year ... Do I leave any? Lurking expect fever, sleepless nights, I give him / her I don't give him antitermic, appointments with the pediatrician, mornings at home so as not to spread to your classmates, a thousand and one concerns.
But what about the children? Don't you worry about the news that comes over the thousands affected by Ebola in West Africa? Do not you wonder what is happening in Spain that suddenly everyone talks about this virus? (Yes, we are like this: while he was away he did not go with us).
My daughter commented yesterday while looking at paintings in a museum: "What a fuss about Ebola, and the children who go hungry, who is going to help us all, Mom?"
It is clear that by dint of listening to news on television or radio, he is left with disjointed ideas and needs some elaboration to understand them. Consulting out of curiosity sources such as the CDC or our Ministry of Health, I have decided to sort the ideas a bit, and share it if it helps us all when the children ask, or we want to talk to them about this topic.
I believe that unless we had to travel to areas of risk, that we lived relatively close to where an outbreak occurred, or that we were health personnel, with the information that the competent agencies put to our information, it is enough for us to get an idea , and know the prevention measures. To the kids they still need less information, but they will want to know something.
We are all worried about Ebola, and as I mentioned above, we are even more so since the appearance of some cases of infected people in the West. If we cannot ration the information about that virus (and the ravages it causes) our children receive, we must strive to listen to them, clarify doubts, and make them feel understood.
Is there anything we don't know about Ebola?
Well, many things myself, so if I am going to have a conversation with my children, or they ask me questions, I will try to document myself (always from reliable places, please). For example It is very important to learn about the transmission pathways, because if you hear people talking around there is a lot of confusion. And from a practical point of view, it may be information that I will not use, but as well as educating my children, I will take the opportunity to tell them if they are over 10 years old how I select my sources.
As you know, contagion occurs by direct contact with blood or body fluids of an infected person with symptoms. Also by contact with infected dead people and by exposure to objects that have been contaminated with infected secretions (such as needles, clothes, syringes).
From the Ministry of Health they inform us that the most infectious body fluids are blood, feces and vomiting and that the whole live virus has never been isolated from sweat. It is also possible to get the disease through direct contact with blood or other body fluids of wild animals (monkeys, bats, wild antelopes) alive or dead; and also for the consumption of their undercooked meat.
But the virus that causes these hemorrhagic fevers It is not inhaled or transmitted by water or food consumption (with the exception of the point discussed above). A number of societies of Spanish pediatric professionals have published a technical report on Ebola virus disease in children, there I have read that children have the same risk as adults of becoming infected, although a lower incidence of the disease, and in some Outbreaks are attributed to being removed from contact.
All the information we want to collect must be contextualized, for us and for our children
Do we need to know everything?
I think not, unless we have very specific curiosities, and of course that children with few clear ideas have enough to understand what happens with the Ebola virus. For example one of the aspects on which you have the desire to know is the origin of the virus; in the WHO special, they say that "the available scientific evidence suggests that fruit bats (Pteropodidae family) are their most likely hosts."
But if we talk about outbreaks, let's be sure they are currently in Africa; the rest are cases, which I do not say that they should not worry, but the situation in the United States or in our country is far from that of Sierra Leone (by the way, according to the latest reports, in Senegal the transmission has stopped).
The uncertainty of children
Parents are a filter that dampens the impact of all the factors that cause them anxiety. When the children are seven or eight years old, they can assimilate the information a little more, but they still do not have abstract thinking, that together with the news repeating to the full that there are about 5000 affected? More ?, I already lose count (it's terrible); It can cause some anguish in children.
And it's not that I'm not distressing, but they wonder if it will happen to them... We don't know the future, but if you can tell them what chances you have of it happening today, are you going to travel to Liberia? Has a case been declared and is someone close to you? they are silly questions, but to place ourselves and then place the children.
If the child asks, first we will try to know exactly his interest, try to return the question: in Medline Plus, there is a very interesting article in which a specific example is given. "I am afraid of Ebola," to which the father or mother responds "what exactly is it that scares you?"
Why do this? Because it is a way to find out if they need understanding, or do they really need us to tell them; In addition, the largest often respond alone when we reformulate
To allow them to show their interest and specific concerns, we need to spend a little time. And on the other hand we must be careful because sometimes we project our insecurity and tell them things they don't even want to know. Children need to know they are protected, and in a way if we know how to reassure them, we are doing well.
Finally, all sources consulted, insist on converting this exchange of doubts, fears, information ... with children, in an opportunity to learn that in general there are ways to protect ourselves from viruses, parasites and bacteria: hand washing is a measure very effective. And besides healthy eating and physical exercise make us strong.
In addition, older children may be curious about - it is an example - knowing the causes that in those West African countries, people have so many problems to access hygiene or medicines. Take the opportunity to tell them that the children who live there, they are at a disadvantage.
