Doctors train parents on first aid,Preparedness for COVID third wave,

Hyderabad: Prior to the onset of a possible third wave of COVID-19 hitting Hyderabad and other parts of India as well, health experts in Hyderabad are recommending parents to learn first aid and home remedies, so that they can tackle the virus at home. Following the data, which shows that children are more likely to get affected in the third wave, many parents are adhering to videos and posts by health experts to remain up to date on first aid.

Priyanka Bolla, mother of a two-year-old in Hyderabad said that initially, she had no clue regarding first aid. But when her child contracted COVID-19, during the second wave, she learnt a bit about first aid from online videos. "Fortunately, it wasn't a severe disease and settled down, but after having experienced that panic, I started looking out for ways to learn first aid online," added Bolla.

With parents trying to learn about how they can tackle common health issues like diarrhoea, high fever and seizures at home, experts say that the number of parents who know first aid also needs to increase considerably.

According to Dr Shivaranjani Santosh, chief consultant paediatrician, Magna centres, instead of worrying and panicking, the most important thing for parents is to be prepared for all possibilities in view of COVID-19. "The parents need to empower



themselves with the right knowledge about fever, seizures, vomiting and diarrhoea which are seen in kids," said Dr Santosh adding that currently, the awareness among parents is very little and the need to increase the same has become the need of the hour.

Apart from just learning about the symptoms of COVID-19 and related complications with Multi System Inflammatory Syndrome in children (MIS-C), parents also need to learn how to tackle these issues effectively. It may be noted that during the second wave, MIS-C had seen a rising trend. It includes high fever, severe shock and cardiac arrest, reported The Times of India.

According to Dr Srinivas Jakka, pediatric pulmonologist, Ankura hospitals, in COVID-19, children mostly do not fall very sick, but it is important for the parents to know how to control the temperature in case of fever. They should monitor oxygen levels, ensure that the child is hydrated (by checking urine output, lethargy). In case of dehydration, the child must be given regular liquids. "In severe cases which are very few, the child can go into seizure. Knowing first aid will help parents in knowing that they need to put the child in a lateral position," said Dr Jakka adding that in case of breathing difficulties the child should immediately be taken to the hospital instead of trying any home remedies.