CHILDREN’S INFLUENZA: SYMPTOMS AND HOME CARE
Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of influenza are sudden chills, a sharp rise in body temperature to 38.9°C to 41.1 °C, flushing, headache, sore throat, a hacking cough, redness of the eyes, and pains in the back and limbs. Young children may vomit and have diarrhea. Fever lasts three to four days and is followed by days of weakness and fatigue during which the child is susceptible to other illnesses.
Secondary bacterial complications are responsible for many of the serious outcomes of flu, and their presence is suggested by: the return of high fever after the child’s temperature has been normal for three or four days; progressive worsening of the cough, changing from dry and hacking to loose and productive; formation of pus in the eyes; rapid breathing and shortness of breath beyond that expected from the fever; severe earache; stiff neck; confusion; and extreme weakness, exhaustion, or collapse.
In isolated cases, flu cannot be diagnosed with certainty by physical exam. During an epidemic, the disease is diagnosed by similarity to other cases.
Home care
The prescription for home care is: bed rest during the height of the fever and
paracetamol, not aspirin, for fever and pains. You should encourage the child to drink a lot of fluids. Keep the child isolated from the rest of the family, and don’t let the child return to school or work until fully recovered. This will lessen the child’s chances of getting another disease while his or her resistance is lowered by the influenza.
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Tags: General health