Rochelle Rivera: Calpol

Christmas is in the air. The weather’s getting colder and the atmosphere’s merrier. Kids cannot wait to open all the gifts under the tree, eat delicious holiday food, and receive goodies from all the Christmas parties.

However, the season also leaves children vulnerable to cough, colds, and fever. During this time, people tend to remain indoors, staying in close proximity with each other. This makes it easy for viruses to spread. And we all know that getting sick in the merriest time of the year isn’t fun for any kid.

Make sure that your child celebrates Christmas in great health with these tips:

Dress them in warm and comfortable clothing. As you go out for Simbang Gabi or a party, protect your kids from the cold with a jacket or sweater.
Make them get enough sleep. With all the activities happening, your children will spend a lot of energy. Encourage them to sleep early so that their bodies can recover well for the next day.
Pay attention to their diet. Desserts and fatty food are popular during Christmas, but don’t go overboard. Keep your children’s meals healthy, and make sure that they are well hydrated.
Have the right medicine readily available at home. Be ready to fight off possible pain and fever common during this season with proper medication. The World Health Organization recommends paracetamol—the active ingredient in Calpol— as the first line of treatment. It is effective and gentle on young tummies, so it can be administered to children from 2 months old onward.
If your child is sick, give proper dosage of medicine. Make sure that you are giving them the right amount at the right time.

When caring for a sick child, trust only doctor-recommended medication such as Calpol. For more useful child care resources and for more information about Calpol, visit calpol.com.ph.

Use as directed. Always read the label. If you have any doubts or concerns, please contact your local healthcare professional.

[1] http://www.calpol.com.ph/resources/articles-about-calpol/why-choose-paracetamol/

We, moms, are no doctors - except, of course, for those who are really licensed in the medical field. However, it doesn’t mean that we cannot take care of our own kids when they are sick. Mother’s instinct, as what they say. We use our warmth and our loving hands to ease their pain and make them feel better. Sometimes, I want to believe that having three kids becomes handy when you’re a nurse. I just can’t help but be worrisome at the slightest symptom or indication of fever.

Yes, it is highly recommended to see a physician or pediatrician whenever our children are not feeling well. We always want to seek the experts’ opinions when our health, our life, is at stake. Although, there will be times, after a series of tests has been done and infections were ruled out, when the doctor will send you home and give prescriptions and out-patient recommendations. Staying in the hospital or having any family member get confined there for days has always been on my least-favorite-things-to-do list.

In this case, you may take note of the following ways to manage fever at home.

1. A thermometer is a must-have in your first-aid kit.

Document the fever pattern. This is important as this will indicate whether you have to go back to the doctor for more tests or not. There are different types of thermometers. Tympanic thermometers are not usually recommended because their use outside the clinic is unreliable. Glass thermometers work well but may break, and they take several minutes to get a reading. I keep a digital thermometer as recommended by our doctor. It is inexpensive and can obtain a reading in seconds.

2. Do not overdress

I used to make my kids were pajamas, socks, and thick clothes under their sweatshirt when they have fever. They complain of feeling cold when their temperature spikes. This is not a good practice though. Overdressing keeps the body from cooling down naturally. Dress your child in a single layer of clothing, and then cover him/her with a sheet or light blanket.

3. Sponge bath in warm water

Usually, we don’t give our children a bath (and they don’t like it either) when they are sick. Since they’re just indoors and in bed rest almost the entire time, they might not need it anyway. However, this may more quickly reduce the fever. Put him/her in a few inches of warm water, and use a sponge or washcloth to wet the skin of the body, arms and legs. The water itself does not cool the child. The evaporation of the water off the skin does. So, do not cover the child with wet towels, which would prevent it.

4. Hydrate by drinking lots of fluids

I trust that we all know this. Even when there’s no fever, we have to always hydrate. Plus, humans lose extra water from the skin and lungs during a fever. So, encourage your child to drink clear fluids, not only plain water. Water does not contain the necessary electrolytes and glucose. Also, make sure that he/she urinates light-colored urine at least every four hours. That means, your child is well hydrated.

5. Always be ready with paracetamol to effectively reduce fever

The primary goal in managing your child’s fever is to lower it down to make him or her comfortable. CALPOL is a doctor-recommended paracetamol and my one and only trusted brand for my kids. Do not use aspirin to treat fever as it has been linked to liver failure in some children. CALPOL is best when it comes to pain and fever associated with headache, teething, earache, cold & flu, immunization, and sore throat. Always read the label for dosage and frequency.

If your child’s condition does not improve after reducing the fever, there could be a more serious problem that may need further medical attention. Immediately go to the emergency when this happens.

I hope these tips may help you when the situation calls for it. For now, take care of yourselves momshies, and always put our child’s health on top of our priority.

If you have been following my blogs, especially those stories about my sons, you already know that my Niko had dengue twice. I am an over-protective mom, but there are things that can really get out of our control. As I have mentioned before, being a blogger mom and having access to a lot of information don’t exempt me from experiencing how dreadful it is to deal with this illness. Just like you momshies, I can only do so much.

Since then, I have been participating in spreading awareness about dengue. I have learned from my previous experience that we can’t be complacent, but we have to trust our instincts as parents in making the right decisions when dengue strikes.

Dengue is a serious viral infection transmitted from one person to another by the Aedes mosquito, principally Aedes aegypti. Symptoms include high fever, headache, vomiting, joint pains and skin rashes. If not addressed right away, it can develop to severe dengue hemorrhagic, which is life-threatening.

We may not realize it, but dengue is the number one health concern in the Southeast Asia region, outranking Zika and HIV. It is considered as the fastest spreading viral disease in the world. Roughly 500,000 people a year require hospitalization from a severe form of the disease, 2.5% of whom die.

Southeast Asia has the highest prevalence of dengue, with 2.9 million sufferers and 5,906 deaths.

According to the SEA Dengue Survey commissioned by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare, 73% worry about dengue, but only one-third feel prepared and in control. Majority still thought that dengue is curable, and that antibiotics are needed to manage symptoms. Sadly, only 28% of Filipino respondents are aware that paracetamol is the only recommended medication for dengue fever management as stated by the World Health Organization (WHO). And a low 19% know that dengue can be detected on the first day of infection and that most parents would only visit the doctor when fever persists up to 3 days. On the other hand, more than half of parents are confident that they would be able to diagnose their children with dengue, which may lead to misdiagnosis and place children at greater risk. The survey revealed that 95% of Filipinos are interested to learn more about dengue, and almost all parents feel schools should play a role in educating students about the disease.

* The survey involved over 3,000 respondents aged 18 and above from across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Philippines.

“It is alarming that a large proportion of the population are misinformed about dengue management. This emphasizes the greater need for education,” says Debjit Rudra, Area General Manager for Southeast Asia, GSK Consumer Healthcare.

GSK founded Allied Against Dengue (AAD), an open movement initiated by public and private institutions with a mission to reduce the impact of the disease on society. The results of the survey are the same reasons why AAD has been continuously doing and promises to intensify initiatives and information drives to educate several communities, to combat this rampant misunderstanding, and to mitigate the impact of dengue. In the country, Department of Health (DOH) and Mercury Drug Corporation partnered with Philippine Pharmacists Association in the members of AAD to provide their expertise in support of these programs.

May these numbers serve as an eye-opener to us. We may not have participated in it, but we know for sure in which part of the population we belong. The key learning I would like to impart from this is how we manage it when we’re faced with the situation. Trust your instinct. Calpol, a paracetamol brand, is doctor-recommended and proven safe and efficient in relieving pain and fever among our children who are most vulnerable to the disease. Let’s be dengue warriors!

If you want to know more about Calpol and its dengue campaign, you can visit www.calpol.com.ph and like their Facebook page.

To contact Allied Against Dengue, call 1800-8908-8275 or email ph.customer-relations@gsk.com.

One of my worst experiences was when my son, Niko, was diagnosed of dengue fever a couple of years ago. I think everyone would agree with me if I say that losing someone we love could be our greatest fear. At least for me, it is.

I’m always worried sick whenever my kids don’t feel well. Imagine how scared I was when Niko’s temperature sky-rocketed and I could almost feel his discomfort all throughout. As we know, there’s no known cure for this dreaded viral illness. It was like a nightmare, I cried everyday seeing him suffer and go through tests and a lot of hospital visits. If I could only get those needles away from him, I would. His blood count needed to be monitored, thus a series of CBC and Dengue Duo tests was performed. It was a very traumatic experience for all of us.

I knew I could have done something to keep him away from dengue but I realized I just have to be strong and help him fight it while it’s not too late. Being a blogger mom, I have been doing research, reading a lot of stuff, and talking to a lot of people, you think I already know every must-do and must-have to be a perfect mother. I tell you, I wish I do. But we can only do so much, right? There are situations that could really get out of our hands. The real deal? There are things we can control, but also things we can’t – like dengue fever. We just have to manage our way out of it.

Dengue fever, considered to be a global phenomenon due to the number of cases reported, is a viral illness spread by the dengue mosquito (Aedes Aegypti), which can be found in many tropical countries around the world such as ours. Symptoms include high fever, headache, vomiting, joint pains and skin rashes. If not addressed right away, it can develop to severe dengue hemorrhagic, which is life-threatening. The thing is medicines like aspirin and ibuprofen may have harmful side effects. Calpol is Paracetamol, and it is the only recommended treatment for fever caused by dengue virus.

Paracetamol Calpol is every mom’s partner in providing effective and quick relief from fever.

-Clinically proven to relieve 6 types of pain and fever: 1. headache

2. sore throat

3. fever and pain

4. toothache

5. muscle ache

6. musculoskeletal pain

To intensify awareness, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) launched its campaign Allied Against Dengue at The Peninsula Manila. GSK, the maker of doctor-recommended Calpol, is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies. It has partnered with other organizations here in the country such as the Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Pharmacists Association, Inc. (PPHA), Mercury Drug Corporation (MDC), Smart Parenting and CNN Philippines. The movement aims to empower everyone to be able to combine preventive and control measures by spreading awareness on dengue management.

Present in the event were celebrity mom Jolina Magdangal-Escueta

and Mommy blogger Rowena Wendy Lei (Animetric's World), who both shared their experiences and ways to protect their families from dengue. They also joined other representatives from the Allied Against Dengue and partner organizations in the symbolic hand-painting ceremony.

To be successful, Allied Against Dengue will have train-the-trainer programs, organized information centers through partner networks, community education activations and employee volunteers.

Here are some of Allied Against Dengue’s initiatives:

• Distribution of 50,000 DOH primers to at least 5 public schools in Dengue hotspots in Metro Manila.

• Distribution of 15,000 leaflets to 1,000 pediatricians and general practitioners

• Education and proper Dengue fever prevention and management to 20 health centers for Barangay outreach programs.

• Implementation of Continues Pharmacy Education (CPE) Program in identified chapters, targeting 200 pharmacists.

• Education and recruitment of at least 1,000 Allies Against Dengue through employee engagement, online and on ground activations.

We can all help this movement to fight dengue. I will definitely be part of this. I will do everything in my power to keep my precious sons safe from dengue.

If you want to know more about Calpol and its dengue campaign, you can visit www.calpol.com.ph and like their Facebook page Calpol Philippines.

To contact Allied Against Dengue, call 1800-8908-8275 or email ph.customer-relations@gsk.com.

Holiday Care Tips for Kids

Tips in Managing Fever at Home

Trust your Instinct, Trust Calpol and Fight Dengue

Fight Dengue Fever with CALPOL #AlliedAgainstDengue

RAISING AWARENESS ON DENGUE FEVER MANAGEMENT

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