|
Q. We've heard there is a tablet that prevents mountain sickness. Can children take it? We have always dreamed of going to the Himalayas or the Andes and now that our children are seven and four we were thinking about planning a trip.
Clare Morrissey A.Even in adults, mountain sickness is a very unpredictable foe. And a recent British Medical Journal article suggested that small children should never be taken over 3,000m.
Peru's Inca Trail therefore . . . over 4,000m . . . wouldn't be advisable. There is probably more scope in the Himalayan region, where you can walk for a month without going much over 3,000m.
We have taken our sons to modest altitudes on trips that allowed us to stop whenever they wanted to. Despite the fact that we are experienced climbers and the fact that I have a lot of experience in child health, I found it difficult to determine whether the children were experiencing problems or were just cheesed off.
Dr Jane
Wilson-Howarth has written Your Child Abroad (Bradt) and Bugs, Bites and Bowels (Cadogan) noproblem@tribune. ie
|
YOU ARE HERE: 19 March 2007 / tribune.ie / 2006 / 01 / 08
Terms & Conditions 
