Coughs, colds and pneumonia affect millions of people worldwide and can kill. Older children can learn how to avoid coughs or colds, stop them spreading and prevent them developing. They can learn about good hygiene practices. They can learn to recognize rapid breathing and the importance of getting an infant with rapid breathing to a health worker for urgent lifesaving treatment. Scroll down to read our Top Ten messages on Coughs, Colds and other Serious Illnesses for children to learn and share, plus ideas on what children can do to understand, find out more, take action and reflect on this topic. CHILDREN SAY THAT WE CAN MAKE our own Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia Messages using our own words in our own language! LEARN these messages so we never forget them! ADD these messages to our collection! SHARE these messages with other children and our families! Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 1
Message 1 Smoke from cooking fires has tiny bits in it that can go into the lungs and cause illness. Avoid smoke by cooking outside, or where fresh air comes in and smoke escapes. Children and babies are more likely to get pneumonia and have other breathing difficulties if they live in a smoky environment. Babies should be kept out of smoky kitchens and away from cooking fires. Children should play and sleep away from harmful smoke. Find out more: Make a plan of your house. Where is smoky, where is not? Where is safe for young children to play away from smoke? New designs of cooking stoves can help reduce smoke and save fuel. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 2
Message 2 Smoking tobacco makes lungs weak. Breathing smoke from other people smoking is also harmful. Everyone has a right to breathe clean air. When children breathe in other people s tobacco smoke it is very harmful. Breathing in tobacco smoke from other people can cause breathing problems in children and make them more vulnerable to infections. Keep tobacco smoke away from children! Find out more: Everyone has a right to breathe clean, smoke free air. Find out where smoking is banned is your school smoke free? Take action: Most people start smoking when they are teenagers. Say NO to cigarettes practise saying no to cigarettes in role plays. Smoking is harmful find out about the diseases caused by smoking here. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 3
Message 3 Everyone gets coughs and colds. Most get better quickly. If a cough or colds last more than 3 weeks, go to a health clinic. Coughs and colds are part of growing up as our body learns to defend itself against common germs and viruses. But sometimes a persistent cough can be a danger sign for a more serious illness like tuberculosis. When we have had a cough for more than three weeks we must go to the clinic to see a health worker for help. Find out more: Watch Meena and Mitu helping their neighbour find the health worker before buying expensive medicines from the kiosk. Take action: Test our knowledge on danger signs for pneumonia! Learn how to wash your hands with soap and water to stop germs spreading and protect yourself against coughs and colds. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 4
Message 4 There are types of germs called bacteria and others called viruses. Viruses cause most coughs and colds and can t be killed using medicine. Bacteria and viruses are sometimes called microbes. Bacteria and viruses both make us ill by reproducing inside our bodies and stopping our bodies working properly. Bacteria can be killed by some medicines but medicine doesn t work on viruses we have to wait for our body to get better. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 5
Message 5 Lungs are the part of the body that breathes. Coughs or cold makes lungs weak. Pneumonia is a bacteria germ that causes serious illness in weak lungs. Our lungs are filled with small sacs called alveoli that help our blood take oxygen from the air. They are more vulnerable to germs and viruses if we have been ill with a cough or cold; or with diseases like measles or whooping cough. Pneumonia can attack our lungs after we have been ill. Find out more: Immunisations protect us against dangerous diseases like measles and whooping cough. Take action: Make up a song about pneumonia and share it with our family and friends! Make a poster to encourage parents to take their children for immunisation. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 6
Message 6 A sign of pneumonia (a serious illness) is fast breathing. Listen to the breath. Watch the chest going up and down. Other signs are fever, sickness & chest pain. Pneumonia is a disease that can be treated easily with medicine. It is very dangerous if it is not treated and many children and babies die from pneumonia every year. Danger signs for pneumonia include fast breathing, fever, vomiting and chest in drawing (the chest goes in when we breathe in). We can learn the danger signs so we can get help FAST! Find out more: Learn the signs of pneumonia and share what we learn with our families. Take action: Make a pendulum to help us learn when breathing is fast and when breathing is normal. Test our knowledge of pneumonia by acting out different scenarios that could be pneumonia or could be a cold. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 7
Message 7 Fast breathing is 40 50 (babies) or 60 (older children) breaths a minute or more. A child breathing FAST must go to a health worker FAST! The lungs of children and babies are small. They need to take more breaths every minute than adults. When we have pneumonia our lungs fill with fluid and pus. This makes breathing difficult and we have to take many more breaths to make up for it which makes our breathing and baby s breathing FAST. When breathing is fast, go to the health worker FAST! Find out more: What makes us breathe fast? We can measure our breathing to learn to identify fast breathing when someone is in danger from pneumonia. Take action: Make a pendulum to help us learn when breathing is fast and when breathing is normal and show what we have learnt to our families. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 8
Message 8 A good diet (breastfeeding babies) a smoke free home and immunisation prevents serious illness like pneumonia. We can protect ourselves against coughs, colds and dangerous diseases like pneumonia. Eating well makes sure we have all the micronutrients we need especially zinc which helps our bodies fight infections. Babies need breast milk to give them protection against disease and help them grow strong. Immunisation protects us all from infectious diseases like measles and whooping cough that make us more vulnerable to pneumonia. Find out more: Make a play about breastfeeding babies. Take action: Make a plan of your house. Where is smoky, where is not? Where is safe for young children to play away from smoke? Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 9
Message 9 Treat a cough or cold by keeping warm, drinking tasty drinks often (like soup and juice), resting and keeping the nose clean. When we have a cough or cold we can feel very uncomfortable. Drinking soups and juice will help us feel better and keep us strong. Taking rest helps our body use its energy to fight the illness. Keeping noses, faces and hands clean stops germs spreading to other people. We don t need medicine to treat a cough or cold our bodies will usually get better themselves if we let them. Find out more: Find out more about new ideas and old ideas about treating coughs and colds. Take action: Make a play about keeping cool with a fever and warm with a cold. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 10
Message 10 Stop coughs, colds and other illnesses spreading from one to another. Keep hands, eating and drinking utensils clean and cough into paper. Keeping hands clean is our best weapon against germs! Remembering to wash hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet is one of the best things we can do to protect our health. When we have a cough or cold we need to wash our hands and face more often, use paper for sneezing and coughing and wash plates and cups to stop the germs spreading to other people. Find out more: About how germs spread by playing the handshaking game. Do you know where those hands have been? To see how easily dirty hands spread germs around. Take action: We can make a Tippy Tap for home and school to help wash our hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 11
All 10 Messages 1. Smoke from cooking fires has tiny bits in it that can go into the lungs and cause illness. Avoid smoke by cooking outside, or where fresh air comes in and smoke escapes. 2. Smoking tobacco makes lungs weak. Breathing smoke from other people smoking is also harmful. 3. Everyone gets coughs and colds. Most get better quickly. If a cough or colds last more than 3 weeks, go to a health clinic. 4. There are types of germs called bacteria and others called viruses. Viruses cause most coughs and colds and can t be killed using medicine. 5. Lungs are the part of the body that breathes. Coughs or cold makes lungs weak. Pneumonia is a bacteria germ that causes serious illness in weak lungs. 6. A sign of pneumonia (a serious illness) is fast breathing. Listen to the breath. Watch the chest going up and down. Other signs are fever, sickness & chest pain. 7. Fast breathing is 40 50 (babies) or 60 (older children) breaths a minute or more. A child breathing FAST must go to a health worker FAST! 8. A good diet (breastfeeding babies) a smoke free home and immunisation prevents serious illness like pneumonia. 9. Treat a cough or cold by keeping warm, drinking tasty drinks often (like soup and juice), resting and keeping the nose clean. 10. Stop coughs, colds and other illnesses spreading from one to another. Keep hands, eating and drinking utensils clean and cough into paper. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 12
Knowledge Coughs and Colds Everyone gets coughs, colds, runny noses and sore throats. Sneezing, coughing, runny nose and sore throats are common in children. Coughs and colds are caused by bacteria and by viruses. Most coughs and colds usually get better without medicine. But sometimes when a coughs and a fever make breathing rapid or difficult it can be a sign of a more serious disease. When this happens the person can be in danger and we need to get help from a health worker right away. We are more at risk of serious diseases like pneumonia and TB when we when we have had lots of coughs and colds, or when we are weak from other illnesses or not eating enough to keep us strong and healthy so our bodies less able to fight off new infections. Coughs and colds are part of a group of illnesses often called Acute Respiratory Illnesses or ARI. Of all infectious diseases (diseases that you catch from another person) pneumonia is responsible for killing more children than any other infectious disease. Tuberculosis affects children and young people more than any other group. It is responsible for many child deaths across the world, especially among people who are infected with HIV. Because some coughs and colds are serious and deadly, is important for us to learn how to recognise when a cough or cold is serious so that we can get help and treatment quickly. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 13
Viruses & Bacteria What are viruses? Viruses are so small we can t see them with our eyes. Viruses are made of genetic material (called DNA or RNA) that is held inside a protective coat of protein. When they get into our body they can stick onto a cell and put their genetic material inside the cell. This allows them to make copies of themselves and multiply. Our mouth, throat, nose and lungs are vulnerable open to virus attacks because these parts of us are soft and moist and are not covered by protective skin. What are bacteria? Bacteria are organisms made up of just one cell. They can multiplying by themselves by dividing themselves in two. Bacteria are everywhere in our environment as well as inside and on our bodies. Most bacteria are completely harmless and some of them are very useful, like the ones to make curds and cheese. But some bacteria can cause diseases, like coughs and colds. How are coughs and colds from viruses and bacteria spread? Viral and bacterial infections are spread in the same ways: A person with a cold coughs or sneezes and the viruses or bacteria go into the air, where another person can breathe them in and get infected. A person with a cold wipes their nose or covers their mouth when they cough with their hand and the bacteria or viruses get onto their hands. The bacteria or viruses are passed on by touching food or shaking hands with another person. How to avoid infection: W ash your hands this is one of the best and easiest ways to avoid catching a cold Cover your mouth with your hand when coughing, sneeze into a tissue or hanky Avoid rubbing your eyes or nose after shaking hands or touching Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 14
someone with a cough or cold. Treating bacterial infections Bacterial infections are usually treated with a special antibiotic, which only kills the bacterium that has caused the disease. To make sure that you get the right kind of antibiotic treatment, your doctor may take a sample, for example a swab from the throat or a urine sample. Treating viral infections Viruses cannot multiply until they are inside the body s cells. This is why an infection by a virus is usually left up to our own bodies to fight. Making sure we have all of our childhood immunizations is important to make sure we can fight viruses that we can be protected against with vaccines. We can help our bodies fight the virus by: drinking plenty of water g etting rest taking a painkiller like paracetamol to reduce a fever and aches and pains we can help stop the virus spreading by staying at home. Antibiotics Antibiotics won t help if we have a viral infection like colds or flu, so we must not take them for colds and flu. If we take antibiotics when we don t need them it can stop them working when we have an illness that needs to be treated with antibiotics. We only use antibiotics when a health worker tells us to and we must always take all of the antibiotics given to us. This helps keep antibiotics for emergencies so they can do their job when our lives depend on them. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 15
Pneumonia Pneumonia is a serious infection that affects the lungs. The lungs are made up of small sacs called alveoli, which fill with air when a healthy person breathes. When someone has pneumonia, the alveoli fill up with pus and fluid, which makes breathing painful and stops oxygen getting into the blood. The clearest sign that someone has pneumonia is FAST BREATHING. When someone is breathing quickly it is important to get help from a health worker right away. Without treatment pneumonia can kill. Other signs of pneumonia in children include: G asping for air The chest pulls in tight with the in breath Not wanting to drink or breastfeed A cough that goes on for more than two weeks Vomiting often. Pneumonia is one of the most deadly diseases for children in the world today. It often develops following other childhood diseases like whooping cough and measles both of these can be prevented by immunization. It is responsible for killing more children than any other infectious disease. Pneumonia affects children and families everywhere, but is most common in South Asia and sub Saharan Africa. Children can learn how they can protect themselves from pneumonia and how to protect their families. Pneumonia can be prevented with simple interventions, and treated with low cost, low tech medication and care. Recognising pneumonia The clearest sign is quick breathing. Babies breathe more rapidly than children or adults, so it is important to recognise when breathing is fast and a health worker is needed. Always count breaths when a baby or child is still, or sleeping. A baby with pneumonia will take 50 or more breathes in a minute. A child with pneumonia will take 40 or more breathes in a minute. If a baby or child has more than 40 50 breathes in a minute and a cough or cold they may have pneumonia and must be taken to see a health worker without delay. You can use a watch to time one minute and count breathes. If you do not have a watch, then watch the child or baby carefully and make a decision if the breathing is fast: mothers will know if the breathing is fast, even without using a watch. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 16
Preventing pneumonia Children can be immunized against whooping cough and measles and in some countries immunization against pneumonia is also available. The vaccines for pneumonia protect against two of the most common types of bacterial pneumonia and are called HIB and PCV. As well as making sure children have all their childhood immunizations, making sure children are well fed will also reduce the risk of pneumonia. Babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months and children should be fed nourishing food to help them to grow strong. The risk of pneumonia can also be reduced by improving the air quality inside the home. Parents can stop smoking when near babies and children. Cooking on open fires can be made less hazardous by cooking outside or improving ventilation inside. New stove designs can reduce the amount of smoke made by cooking fires and solar panels can be used to create electricity to power an electric ring. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 17
Tuberculosis (TB) Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that affects the lungs. It is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and can be treated and prevented. TB germs spread from person to person through the air. When people with TB cough, sneeze or spit, they send lots of TB germs into the air. We only need to breathe in a few TB germs to get infected. When we are infected with TB we may not get ill right away even though we have the germs in our body. Lots of people in the world have TB germs but aren t yet ill with the diseases. The disease can appear when the person gets weak or ill, this can happens when a disease like HIV stops the body fighting diseases or when someone smokes tobacco. When TB first appears it may seem to be very bad. The symptoms include a cough, fever, sweating in the night and losing weight. A person may be able to cope well with these symptoms for a long time and they may not be bad enough for someone to go to see a health worker and get treatment. But while they are ill, each time they cough they send germs into the air that can pass the infection on to many other people. It is very important for people with TB to get treatment as soon as they notice symptoms. Treatment with special antibiotics from the health worker will stop the infection. Sometimes people with TB stay in a clinic or hospital for a long time while they are given their medicines. This helps stop TB spreading to other people. Without proper treatment up to two thirds of people ill with TB will die. Recognising tuberculosis One of the most important signs of possible TB is a persistent cough that has gone on for more than three weeks. If a child has been coughing for this long, they should be taken to a health worker to be examined. They may need to be tested for TB so they can get treatment if they need it. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 18
Tobacco and smoking Smoking cigarettes is harmful. It can cause many diseases that affect our breathing and diseases that make us very ill when we are older, including cancer of the mouth, throat and lungs. Breathing in other people s cigarette smoke is also very harmful to babies and children. Second hand smoke from other people s cigarettes can cause breathing difficulties in children and put them at much greater risk of the dangerous disease pneumonia. You can find out more about the effects of tobacco smoke on children in this fact sheet from Tobacco Free Kids, an American organisation that is working to stop children starting smoking and protect children from second hand cigarette smoke. Coughs, Colds & Pneumonia ChildrenforHealth.org Page 19