With the influenza season upon us, it’s important to know your child’s main symptoms and know when you should call your local health care provider. Influenza is a viral infection of the nose, throat, windpipe, and bronchi. The main symptoms are a fever, achiness, stuffy nose, sore throat, and nagging cough.

For most children and adults, influenza is a just a bad cold with a mild headache and some muscle aches, which can last up to seven to 10 days. There are medications that can be given to treat the infection if they are taken within the first 48-72 hours of symptoms. These can be prescribed by your health care provider if needed.

So as a caregiver with a child experiencing the flu bug, when should you call your local health care provider? According to Dr. Craig Rubens, Division of Infectious Diseases, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, “It’s important to call your local health care provider if your child is experiencing muscle aches, headaches, fever and chills, to make sure of what the child may be sick with and what to do.”

“Other warning signs include children who are lethargic, not drinking fluids, or having difficulty breathing. It’s especially important to seek medical care if these children are under one year of age or have chronic health conditions such as asthma or heart disease, which makes their systems more susceptible to severe influenza disease or complications of the infection.”

The treatment of influenza is no different from that given for other coughs and colds. Here’s what you can do:

• For a runny nose with a clear discharge, blow or suction the nose gently.
• For a dry or stuffy nose with little discharge, use saline nose drops followed by blowing or suctioning.
• For fevers or aches, use acetaminophen every four to six hours (Avoid aspirin because of the increased risk of Reyes’s syndrome.)
• Encourage fluid intake to prevent dehydration.
• For mild cough, hoarseness, or sore throat, encourage your child to drink clear liquids. Also, warm liquids may be soothing to the throat.
• Running a humidifier in the child’s room may also be helpful.

Be sure to seek medical attention if the treatments described above do not appear to be helping and your child is getting worse.

If you have additional concerns, please call your local health care provider. You may also call Children’s Resource Line, locally at 206-526-2500 or toll-free, 877-526-2500 to speak confidentially to a nurse. The line is always available daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center provides health care appropriate for the special needs of children regardless of race, sex, creed, ethnicity or disability. Financial assistance is provided based upon family need and hospital resources.

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