What Do the Drs Do When Babies Have the Flu
Your baby and the flu
Babies and the flu; Your infant and the flu; Your toddler and the flu
The flu is an easily-spread disease. Children under historic period 2 have a higher risk of developing complications if they get the flu.
The information in this article has been put together to help you protect children under age 2 from the flu. This is not a substitute for medical advice from your health intendance provider. If yous call up your baby may have the influenza, you should contact a provider right abroad.
Your head is throbbing. Your pharynx is burning. You're cough nonstop, and your whole torso aches. This is no run-of-the-mill common cold. You may have the influenza. Permit'south talk near influenza, also known as the flu. Winter is a time for sledding, snowball fights, and influenza. Every winter, millions of Americans come down with this respiratory ailment and feel absolutely miserable. Like the common common cold, the flu is caused by a virus. But with the flu, information technology's the influenza virus that makes people so sick. The flu virus comes in a few different forms. Flu A is nearly common between early wintertime and spring. You can catch influenza B twelvemonth-round. Swine flu, or H1N1, is a specific type of influenza A. You catch the flu from someone who has information technology. When people with the flu sneeze or coughing, they send a spray of droplets filled with the flu virus into the air. If you're unlucky enough to be nearby, you could breathe in those droplets. Or, you might touch a surface that the aerosol have fallen on and and so touch your olfactory organ or mouth. 2 to 3 days later, the beginning flu symptoms will appear. Normally you'll start running a fever. And so yous'll feel achy and tired. Yous may have the chills and feel sick to your stomach. Later on a couple of days, the sore throat and cough volition ready in. So, how exercise doctors treat the flu? Considering a virus causes the influenza, antibiotics won't care for it, they merely kill bacteria. In that location are antiviral medicines, but yous need to offset taking them within the first 2 days afterwards your symptoms appear. Until the illness runs its class, aid yourself feel amend by getting a lot of rest and drinking extra fluids. Yous can take an over-the-counter cold medicine to relieve your congestion and coughing. Tylenol, Advil, or Motrin tin can bring down your fever and take some of the pain out of your sore pharynx. Aspirin isn't recommended during the flu, especially under age 18, because it could increase the risk for a rare, but serious, condition called Reye syndrome. By itself, the influenza ordinarily isn't harmful. But it can make existing weather similar asthma and breathing problems worse. In older people or those with a weakened immune system, the flu tin can turn into pneumonia, bronchitis, and other more serious diseases. For about healthy people, the flu is a brusque-term annoyance. They're stuck in bed for a week or two, and and so their symptoms go abroad and they're back upwards and effectually. Just thousands of people each year get very sick from the influenza, especially the elderly, young children, and pregnant women. Many are hospitalized, and about 36,000 people die from flu complications. To avoid getting the flu, eat well, become plenty of exercise and sleep, and practise good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with warm h2o and soap or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Don't share cups, plates, or utensils, peculiarly during flu season. And most effective, get your influenza shot every fall to protect y'all through the whole flu season.
Information
FLU SYMPTOMS IN INFANTS AND TODDLERS
The flu is an infection of the nose, pharynx, and (sometimes) lungs. Call your baby's provider if you find any of the following signs:
- Acting tired and cranky much of the time and not feeding well
- Cough
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Has a fever or feels feverish (if no thermometer available)
- Runny olfactory organ
- Body aches and general sick feeling
HOW IS THE FLU TREATED IN BABIES?
Children younger than 2 years old will oftentimes need to be treated with medicine that fights off the flu virus. This is called antiviral medicine. The medicine works best if started within 48 hours after symptoms begin, if possible.
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) in liquid grade volition likely be used. Afterward talking about the run a risk of side effects against the possible complications of the flu in your babe, yous and your provider may decide to employ this medicine to treat the flu.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) help lower fever in children. Sometimes, your provider will tell you to utilise both types of medicine.
Always check with your provider before giving whatever cold medicines to your infant or toddler.
SHOULD MY Infant Become THE Flu VACCINE?
All infants half-dozen months or older should get the flu vaccine, even if they have had a flu-similar illness. The flu vaccine is not canonical for children under half-dozen months former.
- Your child volition need a second flu vaccine around 4 weeks after receiving the vaccine for the first time.
- There are ii types of flu vaccine. Ane is given every bit a shot, and the other is sprayed into your child'southward olfactory organ.
The flu shot contains killed (inactive) viruses. It is not possible to go the flu from this type of vaccine. The flu shot is canonical for people age half-dozen months and older.
A nasal spray-type influenza vaccine uses a live, weakened virus instead of a dead i similar the influenza shot. Information technology is approved for good for you children over 2 years.
Anyone who lives with or has close contact with a child younger than 6 months old should besides have a flu shot.
WILL THE VACCINE Damage MY Baby?
Y'all or your baby cannot get the flu from either vaccine. Some children may get a low-grade fever for a mean solar day or two after the shot. If more than severe symptoms develop or they final for more than two days, you should telephone call your provider.
Some parents are afraid the vaccine could hurt their infant. Simply children under ii years of historic period are more probable to go a severe case of the flu. It is hard to predict how ill your child may get from flu because children often take a mild illness at first. They may become sick very fast.
A modest amount of mercury (called thimerosal) is a common preservative in multidose vaccines. Despite concerns, thimerosal-containing vaccines take not been shown to cause autism, ADHD, or whatever other medical bug.
However, all of the routine vaccines are also available without added thimerosal. Ask your provider if they offer this type of vaccine.
HOW Tin I Foreclose MY BABY FROM GETTING THE FLU?
Anyone who has flu symptoms should not care for a newborn or baby, including feeding. If a person with symptoms must treat the kid, the caretaker should use a face mask and wash their hands well. Everyone who comes in shut contact with your baby should do the post-obit:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when y'all cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue away after using it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for fifteen to 20 seconds, especially subsequently you cough or sneeze. You may also use alcohol-based manus cleaners.
If your infant is younger than half dozen months old and has shut contact with someone with the flu, inform your provider.
IF I Accept Influenza SYMPTOMS, Tin I BREASTFEED MY BABY?
If a mother is non ill with the influenza, breastfeeding is encouraged.
If you are ill, you lot may need to limited your milk for use in bottle feedings given by a healthy person. It is unlikely a newborn can catch influenza from drinking your breast milk when you are sick. Breast milk is considered safe if you are taking antivirals.
WHEN SHOULD I Call THE Physician?
Talk to your kid's provider or go to the emergency room if:
- Your kid does not act warning or more comfortable when the fever goes downward.
- Fever and influenza symptoms come up back afterwards they take gone away.
- The child does not accept tears when crying.
- The kid's diapers are not wet, or the child has not urinated for the last 8 hours.
- Your child is having problem breathing.
How do you treat congestion in babies? I'm Dr. Alan Greene and particularly when over-the-counter decongestants became clear they're not good for babies, parents have been wondering all the more how do y'all deal with it then? At that place are a few things. First of all, there's the bulb syringe which y'all probably went abode from the hospital with. And it actually can exist effective at helping to pull some of the mucous out - some of the viral load out besides of the nose. They're very piece of cake to apply. The trick is you just squeeze everything equally much air as you can out of the seedling syringe to start, then gently push it equally far as it will get up into the nose and release. Then information technology will pull both virus and mucous out. You tin get more out if you put a few drops of saline nose drops in outset. That'll help make information technology more than hard for the virus to reproduce. Information technology'll help loosen things up so you can pull more than out. They can act a bit as a natural decongestant as well. Do the nasal drops, wait possibly x minutes, so practise the bulb syringe. Other things that assist - gravity can exist your friend. All of us tend to be more than congested when we're lying flat when our head is about the aforementioned level equally our heart. And that's fifty-fifty more true for babies. They're more responsive to gravity. So if you're holding the baby upright against your shoulder with their caput higher up their heart, they volition naturally and quickly be less congested. Another matter that tin can be very helpful is a vaporizer. And the way that works a vaporizer humidifier by putting extra moisture in the air will help to sparse the mucous then the mucous will draw that extra wet in and will be thinner and easier to get out either by the seedling syringe, by sneezing, or but the baby's own mechanisms. And so at that place are gentle and natural ways you tin can help relieve congestion in your young baby.
References
Centers for Disease Command and Prevention website. Influenza (flu): frequently asked influenza (flu) questions: 2021-2022 season.
Grohskopf LA, Alyanak East, Ferdinands JM, et al. Prevention and command of seasonal influenza with vaccines: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, U.s., 2021-22 influenza flavour. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2021;seventy(five):1-28. PMID: 34448800
Havers FP, Campbell AJP. Flu viruses. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 285.
Version Info
Terminal reviewed on: 8/x/2021
Reviewed by: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington Schoolhouse of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, Md, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Managing director, and the A.D.A.1000. Editorial team.
What Do the Drs Do When Babies Have the Flu
Source: https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/special-topic/your-baby-and-the-flu