I get bothered whenever my baby is down with the flu, I see how uncomfortable he gets, and that makes me feel uncomfortable too. But, it seems flu usually comes close to children a lot, and I wonder why. Infants are highly vulnerable to the flu, especially those who are still too young to get vaccinated.
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The experience of flu in babies is different from flu in adults, babies may at first show subtle symptoms, which could make it a little bit tricky for you to understand what is going on, but parents/caregivers should watch out for signs like, poor feeding habits, fever, fussiness, as well as cough or nasal congestion.
Flu is also known as influenza, and it is a virus causing serious illness, it goes deeper than the sore throat and the runny nose that we see, babies and young children should be protected from flu as it makes them sick, and even sometimes results in death. It is quite easy for flu to spread from one person to another.
When someone who has the flu coughs, sneezes, or even speaks, they can spread through the air too, and that is the reason why children in daycare can easily pass flu between one another. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children from 6 months older get the flu vaccine every year. Children younger than the age of 5 should get vaccinated as they are likely to come down more with the flu than older.
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Children younger than 5 years old can have flu complications in the form of; heart disease, asthma, brain issues like encephalopathy, pneumonia, dehydration, ear infections, and in rare cases, death. Typically, a child with the flu would experience; dry coughs, headaches, sore throat, loss of appetite, diarrhea, aching, sudden fever, and looking tired or exhausted, they also find it hard to sleep.
The chances of spreading flu can be reduced especially with a large family, learning the act of proper handwashing, learning to use tissue while sneezing or coughing, and disposing of the tissue appropriately after use. During the process of treating the flu, what you are doing as a parent or caregiver is trying to treat the associated symptoms as there is no cure for the flu.
When children are down with flu, it may be difficult for them to eat as much as they used to, but getting them to eat is important for sustainability and healing. For older children, chicken soup will help out a lot, a tasty way to help them get enough fluids.
Medicines that contain paracetamol or ibuprofen can help to relieve the child's fever or treat the pains and aches that will help them feel more comfortable. Antiviral medications can also help with the treatment of flu in babies. Allow the child to get plenty of sleep at this time, lots of water is also needed at a time like this, they also need more attention at this time which you should make available. If with all these home remedies, fever continues to increase, report to a medical center immediately.
For Further Studies.
https://www.whattoexpect.com/childrens-health-and-safety/childrens-flu.aspx
https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support/topics/parenthood/influenza-flu-and-your-baby
https://www.calpol.co.uk/fever-information/flu
https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/colds-and-flu-in-babies-and-children
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