Autumn and winter are the seasons of colds. High-risk groups include the elderly, pregnant women, young children, and patients with chronic diseases, including cancer. Cancer patients are especially vulnerable to colds because of their weak immunity. Each virus can, even more, weaken the body, and make it more complicated to treat the underlying disease. We spoke with Sultan Stambekov, head of the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Oncohematology at the National Center for Maternal and Child Protection of the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, about how a cancer patient's body can behave when it encounters a virus.

- How often do oncology children suffer from infectious diseases?

- During this period, we observe an increase in respiratory diseases. But, since children with cancer are already susceptible to various infections during the year, this is a small jump for us.

– If a child gets sick during chemotherapy, would you stop it?

Everything depends on the blood counts. If they are poor, chemotherapy should be stopped immediately and switched to antibiotics. If the blood counts persist, we somewhat lower the chemo and simultaneously carry out antibiotic therapy. We consider each case individually. 

– How do you protect children with cancer from viral infections?

- The very first thing is quarantine measures. As you saw on the first floor, it is very complicated to get to our patients. We do not allow parents to change each other during the day. Only one parent takes care of and lives with the child from admission to discharge, and exceptions may be in some extreme cases. All rooms are double rooms - we avoid overcrowding. We carefully monitor the temperature regime, observe a diet, and each room has an infrared lamp. This year, we began the installation of port systems, which reduce the risks of catheter-associated infection. We do our best.

We want children not to get sick and to have a healthy childhood. But sometimes, a serious illness knocks on a happy childhood life. Our mission is to save children who couldn’t be cured in their homeland. Unfortunately, not all children have access to modern treatment. We come to their aid, our foundation, a team of like-minded people!

If your child needs help:

Call us: +996505513523 (WhatsApp, Telegram) +996312975007

Email: help@sunofhope.fund

Fill out an application on the website: https://sunofhope.fund/get-help/online-zayavka-na-poluchenie-pomoshchi

Let's give children a healthy childhood together!