CHILDREN’S HEALTH: INFLUENZA
Symptoms: sudden chills; sharp rise in body temperature; flushing; headache; sore throat; cough; pain in back and limbs; vomiting and diarrhea (in young children)
Home care:
Bed rest is necessary while the fever is high.
Give paracetamol not aspirin, for fever and pain.
Have the child drink plenty of fluids.
Isolate the child from other family members.
Keep the child home from school or work until he or she is completely well.
- Because influenza is one of the diseases associated with Reye’s syndrome, do not give aspirin; use paracetamol instead.
- Do not assume that the child is better because the fever goes away for a day; it will probably recur.
- Watch for complications and inform the doctor if they occur.
- Do not allow the child to resume everyday activities until the temperature has been normal for at least two days.
- Influenza vaccines are not generally recommended for children who do not fall into a “high risk” category.
A child with any upper respiratory viral infection will probably be described as having the “flu,” particularly if the child also has chills, fever, cough, and muscle aches. However, true influenza is a specific, highly contagious (catching) respiratory infection that occurs in epidemics in which large numbers of persons in a community get the disease within a short period of time. It is caused by the influenza A or influenza  virus and is transmitted by droplets from nose and throat discharges of persons who have the disease. Influenza has a short incubation period – the time it takes for symptoms to develop once a person has been exposed to the virus – of one to three days and is contagious for seven days starting even before symptoms appear.
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