My heart broke a little bit today… I read a sad article about a pregnant woman who lost her 15month old son of pneumonia…
They went to the hospital but unfortunately it was already too late…
This is a parent’s greatest nightmare…Losing a child…
Serious children’s flu symptoms to watch out for this season
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cautions that even children who are generally very healthy can get dangerously sick with the flu. Call for emergency services (911) if your child has any of these symptoms or conditions:
-
Fast breathing or difficult breathing
-
Bluish or gray skin color
-
Not drinking enough fluids (not urinating as much as usual is a sign of this; see other signs of dehydration)
-
Severe or persistent vomiting
-
Not waking up or not interacting
-
Being so irritable that he or she doesn’t want to be held
-
Flu-like symptoms that get better but then return with fever and a worse cough
-
Has other conditions (like heart or lung disease, diabetes, or asthma) and develops flu symptoms, including a fever and/or cough
The CDC also cautions that children under 5 – especially those under 2 – are at risk for serious complications if they get the flu. Each year about 20,000 children younger than 5 years old are hospitalized with flu complications such as pneumonia.
If your child has typical flu symptoms (see list below), talk to the doctor right away and ask if he should be examined. He may need treatment with antiviral drugs. They’re approved for babies as young as 2 weeks and work best when started within the first two days of the illness.
Here’s a quick list of typical flu symptoms (some of which, such as headache and muscle aches, are hard to detect in kids too young to describe their symptoms!). Someone with the flu will have some or all of these:
-
Fever or feeling feverish (the CDC notes that not everyone with flu has a fever)
-
Chills and body shakes
-
Dry, hacking cough
-
Sore throat
-
Runny or stuffy nose
-
Muscle or body aches
-
Headache
-
Fatigue (very tired)
-
Vomiting and diarrhea (not common, but happens in some kids; even less common in adults)
In contrast, a child with a cold typically has a lower fever, a runny nose, and only a little coughing. The flu usually makes kids (and adults) feel much sicker, achier, and more miserable than a cold does, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Finally, for babies under 12 months old, there are some additional precautions when it comes to fever and a cough. It’s time to call the doctor if your baby:
-
Is younger than 3 months old and has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher. A fever in a baby this young may indicate serious infection or disease.
-
Has a fever that rises above 104 degrees repeatedly.
-
Has had a fever for more than 24 hours.
-
Develops a cough that is not improving after a week.
What is the flu?
The flu is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs caused by influenza viruses. There are many different influenza viruses, and in any given year some are more prevalent than others. Flu infections are most common during “flu season,” which lasts from approximately October to March.
Source: Babycenter
Suski's Girls 