Breathing problems galore in children in UAE

[Nirvana]

This has been my personal observation that many school-going children in Dubai and surrounding states are riddled with breathing problems like wheezing, asthma, cold, cough most of the time. I see many parents echoing the same thoughts. Their kids seem to have dry/wet coughs in the night which goes onto a mild fever and cold and then the pedi prescribes antibioitics with fever-reducers and cough syrups.

I notice this trend is more so in elder kids than the toddlers or the ones who haven't started nursery yet. So schools and nurseries must be one of the reasons why these kids are so prone to these infections.

I found these two links

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?section=theuae&xfile=data/theuae/2009/january/theuae_january42.xml

http://www.springerlink.com/content/m707vguhv2888857/

Believe me every fourth or fifth child here is always on antibiotics and most of them use nebulizers too.

What could possibly trigger these infections in kids? (I know overprescription of abx does increase one's susceptibility to infections.) Any other reasons?
How can I take care of my child once she starts nursery/school so as to avoid similar problems?

[Spy]

I found it to be the same in Australia. When I was enrolling my little one, I kid you not, I was getting surprised questions - what, your child doesn't have chronic health conditions? Not even asthma??? As if it's like he doesn't have a head. :alien: What, no doctor either??? :giggle:

Anyways, it's most likely not the infections but what's been done with them. Years of drug abuse, literally. It is pretty much a known thing that the use of antipyretics in childhood increases your risk of asthma, add the vaccines and antibiotics and there you have it - wheezing by school if not earlier.

ETA - here you go, one in five in Australia as well: http://www.hcf.com.au/pdf/asthma.pdf

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

.........spy, it's just about the same here, and a lot of kids are on things like Ritalin as well. Teachers become medication monitors :(

I think it's made worse by the fact that parents here, feed their children on white bread, margarine, plastic cheese, chips and other junk.

[Nirvana]

Plastic cheese? You mean the store bought ones?

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

It's processed cheese in slices, plastic wrapped, but the cheese looks like extruded plastic, so we call it plastic cheese, as opposed to real cheese bought in a block or from a round.

[Spy]

Sounds like my husbands diet. :chair: Definitely makes everything worse. That and artificial 'food' colours... don't get me started. :soapbox:


Ours are probably on Ritalin as well, mine is just too young for me to see the whole picture.

[Nirvana]

My DD loves Kiri cheese. Are they bad too? These are small cheese cubes. Never really tried anything else. And what about store bought butter? Is there any hope for those of us who don't have access to the best or can't afford organic?

Ritalin! Yikes....I am really worried about sending DD to school. Wish I could homeschool but I am not sure what would happen when/if we have to move back to India.

So basically, it's a worldwide phenomenon of sick children in school. :(

[deesalie]

What's the caesarean section rate over there?

Caesar babies are far more likely to have respiratory illness than vaginally born babies

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

What's the caesarean section rate over there?

Caesar babies are far more likely to have respiratory illness than vaginally born babiesAs an aside, I was reading a medical article on Flu in Bangladesh and was horrified to see that in the city the flu study was done in, and aside comment was that the caesarian rate was ... wait for this... 49%!!

Bangladesh??? 49%. Tis true.... :(

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

My DD loves Kiri cheese. Are they bad too? These are small cheese cubes.Read the ingredients list. I've no idea what Kiri cheese is...


And what about store bought butter? If it's New Zealand butter, then it will be okay.. :D :poke:
Is there any hope for those of us who don't have access to the best or can't afford organic?last time my son was there he was able to get what he needed... but I really know nothing about Dubai..


Ritalin! Yikes....I am really worried about sending DD to school. Wish I could homeschool but I am not sure what would happen when/if we have to move back to India.Aren't most children in India homeschooled by default? I don't know what goes on in Dubai re Ritalin. I just see it here.


So basically, it's a worldwide phenomenon of sick children in school. :(

No, I think it's a worldwide phenomenon of young women, who have become addicted to taking the easy way out in everything: nutrition, health etc, to the point where their kids are suffering for it. It's an epidemic of... knowledge deficit... to put it politely.

[Spy]

Is there any hope for those of us who don't have access to the best or can't afford organic?

I think there is, to a certain point. As long as you don't drug up your kids from before birth, cut them out with more drugs, feed them cow formula, vaccinate and give more drugs... and feed more junk on top of that. :rolleyes: Geez, even if you DO all of the above, most still survive and thrive somehow, although less and less. :eek: Human beings are amazingly resilient. Not that we need to go on a mission to find out exactly how much... :o

[Nirvana]

I think there is, to a certain point. As long as you don't drug up your kids from before birth, cut them out with more drugs, feed them cow formula, vaccinate and give more drugs... and feed more junk on top of that. :rolleyes: Geez, even if you DO all of the above, most still survive and thrive somehow, although less and less. :eek: Human beings are amazingly resilient. Not that we need to go on a mission to find out exactly how much... :o

Yeah I totally agree with you Spy on all those points but I was asking in terms of good food/nutrition.

How do parents make good food choices and not commit mistakes within their budgets?

[Spy]

By reading the labels. :D And then choosing the best from the available.

There is a topic about authentic human diet in the Nutrition section, jump in.

[Nirvana]

What's the caesarean section rate over there?

Caesar babies are far more likely to have respiratory illness than vaginally born babies

Sorry I did not respond before. Just saw the post on page 2 and replied to that.

Most of the population here is made up of expats. So I don't have the correct answer here because many go back to their countries for delivery and return. I will have to look that up.

[Nirvana]

Hilary, I don't know anyone who has been homeschooled in India. I know few who have homebirthed though but they are grandparents now :giggle:

You are right, you get the best of both worlds in Dubai. Problem is everything is expensive and I mean EXPENSIVE! I try to do my best to purchase the freshest of veggies and fruits. I try to buy a variety too but organic is just not an option for me. A bottle of Manuka honey costs around Dirhams 360 which is around $100. I am not sure if this is the normal price but it's way out of my budget. Still I am trying to cut corners and save for all the stuff I know will help my family in the long run.

I know some of my friends who are very slack when it comes to their children's nutrition and buy them chips, biscuits, sodas etc. But some do their best to include good food in their kids' diet but still these kids are sick and on antibiotics. So I am beginning to wonder what is that switch which just clicks when kids enter school? Why do they fall so ill?

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

One word. Cortisol. = stress. Stress = bombed in immune system. It's all there in the medical literature. Also, with so many new varieties of bacteria to share, stress = more infections.


I tried to send some stuff to UA last year, and a small box cost me nearly $200.00, .... :(

Where are fresh fruit and veges grown, in dubai?

[Nirvana]

Cortisol...ok will have to look more into that. All I remember is it is secreted by the adrenal glands and is important for various functions. I think overvaccination results in overstimulation of the adrenal glands? resulting in excess cortisol production. Gotta learn so much yet :giggle:

Some of the veggies and fruits are produced locally. But most of the stuff is brought in from all over the world hence the extra cost. Some of my British contacts complain about how they would only eat organic back home but cannot afford to do that here in Dubai. Everyone is feeling the pinch.

[Nirvana]

Found this piece in yesterday's newspaper.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?section=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2009/january/middleeast_january481.xml

Asthma Cases in Saudi Arabia Reach Alarming Proportions

JEDDAH - Asthma cases in Saudi Arabia have been increasing and have assumed alarming proportions, according to Dr Majdy Mohammed Al Idrees, chief of pulmonary medicine at Riyadh Military Hospital.

“The rate of growth of this disease is very alarming with its prevalence exceeding 20 per cent of our population in certain regions of the kingdom,” Al Idrees said addressing a medical conference in the capital on Saturday.
He explained that pollutants discharged by automobiles and junk food could be behind the rapid rise of asthma and allergies among children.
It has become difficult to find even one family in Saudi Arabia where one or two persons are not suffering from an allergy or asthma.
“I would like to advice people to increase their awareness about the disease and take preventive measures,” he said, and urged people with cough problem or experience breathlessness to get immediate medical help.
Al Idrees called for an intensive nationwide campaign against asthma. The world map developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that more than 95 per cent of the Saudi population has access to asthma medications. Nevertheless, it has been observed that many patients still use unconventional modalities during the course of their treatment.
According to the WHO, there are at least 350 million people suffering from asthma worldwide and more than 180,000 people die from the illness each year. The event saw the launch of the pharmaceutical company SICOR Europe SA, which is a major player in the field of respiratory medicine with a worldwide presence.
More than 300 doctors and paramedical staff from different government and private hospitals of the kingdom, including Tarek El Mansy, SICOR country manager for Saudi Arabia, attended the launching ceremony.
According to Khalid Al Fawzan, deputy head of Saudi Pharmaceutical Society (SPS), asthma and other allergic reactions, are linked to nutrient and water deficiencies, insufficient activity and oxygen intake, certain foods, suppressed immunity and stress as well as environmental toxins, drugs and food additives.
He said that asthma is not a life-threatening disease, but it is debilitating and a hindrance to normal life. It inflicts financial burdens on sufferers, exposes them to long-term medication and subjects them to hospitalisation and school and work absenteeism.
According to available health ministry statistics, Taif (23 per cent), Hail (22 per cent), and Jizan (21 per cent) account for the highest number of the two million asthma sufferers in the kingdom. The varying incidence in different regions is indicative of the fact that the environment plays a big role in causing asthma and other allergies.
People living close to agricultural areas are more prone to the illness by inhaling pollen. The problem aggravated from October to December and from March until May.
Genes also play a role in acquiring the disease. Children, whose both parents have asthma, are 50 per cent more prone to having asthma than children whose parents do not suffer from the condition.
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