Rapid economic development in Indonesia has created severe air pollution problems, particularly in its big cities. Jakarta is known as the most polluted mega-city after Mexico and Bangkok. Its major source of air pollution was emission from transportation (Haryanto and Franklin, 2011). Diseases related to vehicular emissions and air pollution include acute respiratory infection, bronchial asthma, bronchitis, and eye and skin irritations was reported at 63% of total visits to health care centers (Haryanto, 2009).
The common cold is a unique human disease, as it is arguably the most common disease and because of the large number of respiratory viruses causing colds it is one of the most complex human diseases. The common cold is caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sinuses. Young children got lots of colds, some as many as 8 to 10 each year before they turn 2 years old. Colds tend to be more common in rainy season when children are indoors and in closer contact with each other. Young children have more colds than older children and adults because they haven’t built up immunity (defenses) to the more than 100 different cold viruses that are around.
Children can catch colds from siblings, parents, other family members, playmates or caregivers. Once you’ve had a cold virus, you become immune to that virus, so children get fewer colds as they get older. If a child gets many colds, it’s not a sign of a weak immune system. It just means he’s exposed to many viruses.
Air pollution can affect the burden of viral respiratory infections is particularly important in the case of regions with poor air quality. Improving the air quality should be a protection measure against infections.
How colds are spread
Cold viruses are found in the nose and throat. Because children touch their noses, eyes, and mouths often, put things in their mouths, and touch each other often during play, cold germs spread easily.
- Children with colds get viruses on their hands when they touch their runny noses or mouths or when they cough or sneeze. When they touch other children, they pass on the viruses.
- Children with colds get viruses on their hands and then touch an object, such as a toy or furniture. Cold viruses can live on objects for several hours and can be picked up on the hands of other children who touch the same object. These children then get infected when they touch their eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Caregivers can get viruses on their hands and spread them between children by touch.
- Some cold viruses may be spread through the air when a child with a cold coughs or sneezes. Droplets from the cough or sneeze may reach another child’s nose or mouth.
There are several risk factors of common cold:
a. Crowding, Sociability
Humans are infected by respiratory viruses that originate from the respiratory tract of other humans and are transmitted in respiratory mucus by aerosols generated by coughing and sneezing and by fomites such as commonly touched surfaces. It is self-evident that transmission of viruses will be more likely in crowds of human beings when they are close together such as in schools, colleges, cinemas, theatres, public transport, etc.
b. Stress
Stress has been defined as when external demands (stressors) exceed the capacity of the organism to adapt to conditions and cause detrimental psychological and biological changes. Long-term psychological stress has a negative impact on the immune system and mucosal immunity and suppresses the production of secretory immunoglobulin A.
c. Immune Status
The immune status of a subject can be considered as the presence of antibodies (immunoglobulins) against a specific respirator virus. When an infant is born it does not have a mature immune system and depends on immunity derived from the mother via immunoglobulins transferred to the infant via the placenta and breast milk. This maternal protection declines in the first year as the infant ceases breast feeding as immunoglobulins have a relatively short half-life.
d. Age
The incidence of common cold varies throughout life as immunity to respiratory viruses is acquired by repeated exposure to infection, with infants starting life with little immunity and high incidence of colds, and adults having fever colds than infants due to previous exposure to viruses. The incidence of common cold is inversely related to age with infants having 6-8 colds a year compared to adults having 2-4 colds a year.
e. Nutrition
Nutrients support epithelial integrity, restoration and maintenance. Malnourished children in developing countries are particularly susceptible to morbidity and mortality associated with acute respiratory infection.
- Typical cold symptoms are a runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing and a mild sore throat
- Some children may not want to eat, have a headache or be more tired than usual
- Colds can sometimes cause fever, but the fever usually isn’t very high
- Colds usually last about a week but can last for as long as 2 weeks
- Some respiratory viruses that cause colds in older children and adults may cause more serious illness when they infect infants and toddlers. These illnesses include croup (hoarseness, noisy breathing, barking cough), bronchiolitis (wheezing, difficulty breathing), or sore eyes, sore throat and neck gland swelling
- The influenza (flu) virus causes high fever, cough and body ache, strikes more quickly than a cold and causes infected persons to feel sicker. While children with colds usually have energy to play and keep up their daily routines, children with influenza are usually in bed.
a. Keep babies under 3 months old away from people with colds, if possible
b. Make sure your child has received all of the recommended immunizations. While they won’t prevent colds, they will help prevent some of the complications, such as bacterial infections of the ears or lungs. Influenza vaccine protects against influenza but not against other respiratory viruses.
c. Handwashing is the most important way to reduce the spread of colds:
- Wash your hands after coughing, sneezing or wiping your nose
- Wash your hands after being in direct contact with someone who has a respiratory infection
- Wash your own hands and your child’s hands after wiping your child’s nose
- When water and soap are not available, use premoistened hand wipes or alcohol-based hand rinses. Keep hand rinses out of the reach of children because they may be harmful if swallowed.
d. Teach children to prevent spreading colds by covering the nose and mouth with tissues when they sneeze or cough, by disposing of tissues immediately in a wastebasket, and by washing their hands after wiping the nose or handling tissues.
e. Avoid sharing toys that young children place in their mouths until the toys have been cleaned.
In infants and children, the disease tends to be more severe because the infection covers the paranasal sinuses, middle ear and nasopharynx accompanied by the high fever, whereas in adults it is limited and does not cause high fever. Treatment efforts are being made so that pneumonia does not occur and also to overcome complaints such as symptoms of cough and cold, namely through medical (conventional) and alternative (traditional) treatment in line with scientific developments. Public awareness of the dangers of chemical drugs that are consumed continuously will have an impact on health which is currently happening, with the thought of going back to nature being the choice of many people.
Cold cough massage is one of the solutions to overcome the problem of cold cough by improving blood circulation and increasing immunity so that children’s bodies can be healthy and eliminate viruses or bacteria that cause cold coughs in toddlers. Massage for toddlers will become calmer which can release endorphins so that toddlers become more relaxed and calmer when massaged and blood flow becomes smoother so that their nutritional intake becomes better.
MAXTUSIV® Care is the solution for cold and cough in baby and kids. MAXTUSIV® Care Baby which contains Eucalyptol has a warming effect on baby and can help relieve nasal congestion caused by the flu. Additionally, its Chamomile Oil content provides a calming effect so can helping children sleep more soundly. The difference in composition between MAXTUSIV® Care Kids and MAXTUSIV® Care Baby lies in the addition of Menthol and Camphor in Kids variant. When combined with Eucalyptol, these ingredients provide a stronger warming sensation compared to MAXTUSIV® Care Baby.
Sumber
2020. Air Pollution and School Children Respiratory Diseases in Indonesia: A Cohort Study. ASM Science Journal, Volume 13, Special Issue 5, 2020 for APRU2018
Canadian Paediatric Society Infectious Diseases and Immunization Committee, 2005
Poniedzialek B., Rzymski P., et.al. 2024. Viral respiratory infections and air pollution: A review focused on research in Poland. Chemosphere Volume 359, July 2024, 142256
Sitorus NY., Kaban N., Martilova D. 2022. The Effectiveness of Baby Massage to Reduce Cold Cough Symptoms. Science Midwifery, Vol 10, No.5, December 2022.
Eccles R. 2023. Common Cold. Front. Allergy 4:1224988.
https://www.nhs.uk/baby/health/colds-coughs-and-ear-infections-in-children/
