National, February 2026: Parenting today comes with new challenges. Children are today forced to choose between spending more time indoors and fighting pollution when they are outdoors during certain periods. They are also growing up in an environment that is very different from the one their parents knew.
As climate change makes the weather unpredictable, doctors are observing subtle shifts in how children experience common illnesses – symptoms appearing beyond typical seasons and recovery sometimes taking longer than expected. These changes don’t point to weaker immunity, but to young immune systems learning to adapt to a changing environment.
It is with this evolving context that Savlon Swasth India Mission has launched a Podcast series – Doc’s Pod, to highlight the significance of preventive hygiene and disinfection with the evolving changes in climate, health and overall environment. The first episode focuses on Climate playing a key role in shaping the health of today’s children. Featuring Faye D Souza in conversation with Dr Bhaskar Shenoy, Consultant Pediatrician at Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru, the podcast focuses on a reassuring insight: simple, consistent hygiene habits remain one of the most effective ways parents can support children’s immunity today.
Children’s immune systems take time—nearly 7–8 years—to fully mature. During these early years, reducing everyday exposure to germs becomes especially helpful, particularly as environmental changes increase contact-based transmission. “A child’s immune system is still learning what to fight and what to ignore. When daily exposure to germs increases because of heat, humidity, or damp environments, immunity gets distracted, responding to repeated low-level threats instead of building long-term strength,” says Dr Bhaskar.
The podcast highlights how small, repeatable actions at home can make a meaningful difference, easing the load on young immune systems and supporting healthier growth. Rather than reacting to illness, Savlon Swasth India Mission encourages families to build prevention into daily routines—turning hygiene from an occasional reminder into a quiet, dependable habit.
Sameer Satpathy, Divisional Chief Executive, Personal Care Products Business, ITC Limited, said, “For nearly a decade, Savlon Swasth India Mission has worked to strengthen hygiene habits among children. As climate change intensifies, and can potentially impact children’s health, it becomes imperative for parents to practice and teach disinfection and prevention. By building simple habits like regular handwashing, using masks and disinfecting surfaces, every child can protect their immune system and strengthen resistance. This initiative reinforces preventive hygiene as a child’s most reliable defence against climate-induced diseases. By combining science, practical guidance and consistent action, we aim to empower families to build healthier homes and a more resilient future”
The preventive approach discussed in the podcast is strongly backed by evidence. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 80% of childhood infections spread through touch, underlining the importance of hygiene-led prevention. Research further shows that consistent hygiene practices can reduce diarrhoeal illnesses by up to 40% and respiratory infections by 21%, validating hygiene as one of the most effective everyday actions families can take.
Adding her thoughts as a mother herself, Faye D’Souza said, “As a parent, it’s unsettling to see children fall sick in seasons that never used to be a problem, with illnesses lingering longer than expected. This conversation, through the Savlon Swasth India Mission podcast, helped put things into perspective—that our children’s immunity isn’t weaker, but under constant environmental pressure. What’s reassuring is realising that simple, everyday hygiene habits, when done consistently, still give parents meaningful control in protecting their families. In a time of so much uncertainty, that sense of control really matters.”
Dr Bhaskar Shenoy, Consultant Paediatrician at Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru, added, “Children aren’t falling sick more often because their immunity is failing, but because the environment around them is changing faster than their immune systems can adapt. Constant exposure to pollution, humidity and erratic weather keeps immunity under sustained stress. The good news is that preventive hygiene habits at home can significantly reduce this burden and give children’s immune systems the breathing space they need to respond better to everyday infections.”
Climate may be unpredictable, but our defense doesn’t have to be. By instilling these expert-backed habits today, we’re giving our children the resilience they need to thrive tomorrow.
