My greyhound can run faster than your honor student.

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Since there is no more flu vaccine left, I can't tell you to get get a vaccine, so instead I found a good Q&A on what to do if you think you might have the flu:

Q: How can I tell if it's influenza or just a cold?
A: With flu, the child becomes sicker, faster. Symptoms include high fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, chills, dry cough, sore throat, headache or runny nose.

Child symptoms can differ. Infants may show solely a fever; toddlers often vomit or have diarrhea. Very young children can't explain symptoms — be suspicious if they quit playing and refuse to eat or drink.

Q: What's a flu emergency?
A: Get immediate medical care for signs of bacterial infection or other flu complications:

• Trouble breathing. Breaths may be rapid, heavy or gasping; you may see skin around the rib cage suck in or nostrils flare.

• Dehydration. Common signs include dry diapers, a lack of tears while crying, sunken eyes, dry lips and mouth.

• Appearing very pale or bluish; limp or floppy; or not waking up and interacting.

• Being inconsolable, or too irritable even to be held or consoled.

"Any normally sick kid is going to want to be held or comforted. If they don't, that's something to be worried about," says the University of Maryland's Dr. Rennels, an American Academy of Pediatrics flu specialist.

Q: My 5-year-old's fever hit 103º. Is that too high?
A:
Fever itself isn't damaging; it shows the body is fighting infection. What to do depends on the child's age and fever's extent.

Call the doctor about any temperature over 101º in a baby younger than 1 year.

For toddlers and older, call the doctor if fever persists beyond several days, reaches as high as 104º or doesn't drop despite medication.

Q: What treatments help?
A: First, never give a child or teenager aspirin. Use acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever.

There are four anti-flu drugs, one approved for children as young as 1, that can slightly shorten flu's misery when taken within 48 hours of first symptoms. They're important for high-risk children.

For most kids, drinking enough fluids is the main prescription. Keep them comfortable; no sweating out a fever. Over-the-counter remedies offer little help.

Q: My toddler seemed to be getting better but now her fever's back. Is it a relapse?
A: Call the doctor. Once the original fever's gone, it should stay gone. If not, a bacterial infection might be setting into flu-damaged airways.

Q: Will my daughter spread her flu to the rest of the family?
A: Probably. Remember, kids put their hands in their mouths and noses and then touch, well, everything you touch.

So wash her hands and yours frequently. Wipe off doorknobs and faucets. Use alcohol hand gels when soap is unavailable, like after leaving the pediatrician's office. Keep sick children home to cut flu's spread. Teach them to cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

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