Children with measles need vitamin A supplementation

When children have measles, they need to feed their children yellow and red vegetables and fruits (such as carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, papayas, watermelon .) and dark green leafy vegetables (vegetables morning glory, vegetables, etc.

Measles is advanced in young children with poor nutritional status, especially vitamin A deficiency, malnutrition or children with weakened immune systems and due to reduced body resistance, so patients are more susceptible to complications. proof.

Children with measles often lose appetite, stop eating due to mouth ulcers. Infection, vomiting and diarrhea not only increase the demand for some nutrients but also increase elimination and reduce nutrient absorption. In particular, the disease increases the body's need for vitamin A, leading to vitamin A deficiency, even in previously well-nourished and deficient children. Therefore, it is imperative that all children with measles should take this vitamin immediately. Vitamin A supplementation has been shown by some studies to reduce 50% of deaths from measles.

Specifically:

- Children under 6 months: Take 50,000 units / day x 2 consecutive days.

- Children 6-12 months: Take 100,000 units / day x 2 consecutive days.

- Children over 12 months and adults (except pregnant women): Take 200,000 units / day x 2 consecutive days.

Cases of vitamin A deficiency: Repeat the dose after 4-6 weeks.

The National Institute of Nutrition offers some advice on nutrition care for children with measles:

1. Principles of building a diet to enhance immunity

- Diet ensures 4 food groups. The group provides carbohydrates, proteins, fats, rich in essential vitamins and minerals.

- Eat a variety of foods: 15-20 types of food every day.

- For children still in breast-feeding age, mothers need to continue breast-feeding, feeding more often in combination with reasonable supplementary feeding. Implementing exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months is the best method, contributing to the best prevention.

- Give your child enough nutritional needs, diverse foods, not too abstinent to make up for lost nutrients (especially energy and protein).

- Need to give children enough protein-rich foods, especially those with high biological value such as meat, fish (copy, fruit, basil, cotton, ca .). Eggs, milk, and seafood are also sources of zinc and iron, which helps strengthen the immune system and resistance for children. In the case of children with diarrhea or pneumonia, zinc supplementation is required according to the medical guidelines for children.

- Need for children to eat yellow and red vegetables, fruits (such as carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, papayas, watermelon .) and dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, vegetables gooseberry, red spinach, spinach, broccoli .). These have many vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A and C, which help strengthen immunity, fight infections and heal lesions. Other fruits rich in vitamin C help improve resistance and provide water for children like grapefruit, apple, pear . also very good.

- When you are infected with measles, you should not use hot spicy spices such as chilli, pepper, cinnamon, onion, garlic, curry . Limit foods high in saturated fat, animal organs. Absolutely avoid, do not use foods that children have allergies or strange foods.

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2. Food selection

- Use of vitamin A rich food sources:

Foods of animal origin such as liver, fat from meat, egg yolk . are rich in vitamin A. Foods of high vitamin A plant origin like yellow / red fruits and vegetables dark blue, palm oil and cooking oil.

Vitamin A is fat soluble so the diet needs enough oil / fat to help absorb and transfer vitamin A money into vitamin A.

- Selection of zinc-rich foods.

Zinc deficiency will damage immune function, increase the risk of infections, viral infections thereby reducing the growth and development of children, increasing the risk of malnutrition and child mortality.

Zinc supplementation is recommended for both children and adults.

Zinc supplementation dose: 10mg zinc / day for children 6 months for 14-day treatment course. Adults can take 20-30mg / day supplements during measles or chickenpox.

Choose foods that are high in zinc: High zinc foods are copper shrimp, eel, oysters, oysters, pig liver, milk, beef, egg yolks, fish, soybeans, oil seeds (almonds, cashews, peanuts .), green beans germinate also more zinc and easily absorbed. For infants, to get enough zinc, try to breastfeed because zinc in breast milk is much more easily absorbed than cow's milk.

- Foods rich in vitamin C: Vitamin C is abundant in ripe fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, bananas, mangoes, watermelon . and vegetables such as vegetables, spinach, jute, spinach, spinach.

When children are sick, give ripe fruit juice (1-2 cups / day) to provide enough vitamin C to help boost immunity.

3. Pay attention to processing

- Ensure daily rations with appetizing dishes, but the food should be cut or grinded smaller, processed softer, more liquid than when not yet sick.

- Change dishes and divide into small meals to help the process of chewing better, eat more deliciously and easier to digest.

- When processing to avoid vegetables being crushed, cut / cut and put vegetables to cook when the water has boiled, finish cooking immediately to avoid losing vitamins, especially vitamin C and beta-carotene.

- All processing equipment must be clean, clean hands before processing food and feeding children.

4. Some other notes

Give your child enough water, especially during a fever or vomiting period. Children can drink fruit juice such as oranges, grapefruit, lemons and other fruit juices and smoothies. When children have high fever, vomiting and diarrhea, they should give oresol solution to rehydrate and electrolytes according to instructions.

After the child has recovered, need to feed more in the recovery period of at least 2 weeks so that the child can quickly return to normal nutrition and health.

It is recommended to supplement multivitamin - minerals, in which vitamins A, E, C, zinc, selenium ., of which the most important are vitamins A, C and zinc to help enhance immunity.