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Anthrax, smallpox, AIDS, obesity and now SARS. All together, and each individually, have devastating potential and are part of the new epidemic of diseases and threats to the life that we live and the lives of our children. Is this the future or is it really any different from the past? Epidemics have been around for ages. The Webster definition of an epidemic is "something affecting or tending to affect a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time, excessively prevalent, contagious." The definition has not changed but the available and rapid access to information has escalated. SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) has received some of the greatest media recognition because of the initially obscure cause of the disease. Imagine what the 6 o'clock news would have done with locusts or the plague. Just as war and terrorism are on the minds of children, so are threats to their health and the health of their families. We cannot underestimate the impact of frantic worry on our innocent ones. Nevertheless, SARS needs to be taken seriously, treated with respect and discussed carefully and realistically with our children. In the United States, there have been less than 75 cases of identified SARS and no deaths. Most of the cases of SARS in the U.S. have occurred among international travelers returning from parts of the world with SARS. There have been very few cases as a result of disease spread within close contacts, such as family members and health care workers. There is no evidence at this time that SARS is spreading more widely into communities in the United States. Americans like their freedom and anything that threatens that freedom, including health epidemics, can cause anger and denial. AIDS will not happen to me! My child won't be the one in the accident! Therefore, don't deny! As epidemics arise in our global society, parents must have an approach to talking to their children about what they see and hear. You know your children better than anyone. Tailor your responses to your children. The goal is to lessen fear and anxiety. Fear and panic breed irrational decisions, creating a vicious cycle of further panic and fear in both parents and children. The principles remain the same. A calm, rational approach based in knowledge can only help. It is important for parents to take the educational lead in these trying times of uncertainty. Here are a few tips to help parents answer the questions their children may ask: Think of your child in the context of their development. A 4-year-old may ask the same question as a 13-year-old, but the level of explanation and detail will be different as well as the expectation of the child. Never lie. Answer the question with correct information adjusted for the individual situation. Accurate information and knowledge will guide you to the best explanation. Develop a plan. Discuss with your children what can be done to protect themselves and those around them. A reasonable family plan will add security and a level of control of the situation. Sensible decision-making will decrease fear, anxiety and panic. Search for answers that you can explain to your children to decrease their worry. Answer questions. Do so simply and accurately. If you do not know the answer (or need some time to figure out what to say next), tell the child that it is a good question and you will need to find the answer. And don't forget to get back to them! Follow the child. Let the child guide you through questions. Answer one question and wait for the next. Children will stop when they are satisfied with the answer. Keep the door open. They will always come back for more if they need to. Acknowledge their concerns. Inform your children that you have had similar thoughts (and most of us had) about the same topic and that it worries you at times. This acknowledges their thoughts and validates their feelings. Ask for help. If you have concerns about how to deal with a certain topic or what may happen in the future, seek out the information. The Internet has made the search for this information quick, easy and current. For example, the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov), the World Health Organization (www.who.int) and local health departments are excellent resources for accurate information about infectious disease epidemics. |
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