Flu season: Kids sniffle, doctors say don’t worry

Flu season: Kids sniffle, doctors say don’t worry

Aditi.R@timesgroup.com

Chennai:26.06.2020

With the flu season kicking in, parents need not mistake every sniffle for Covid-19. Doctors say it's common for toddlers and young children to show flu-like symptoms during this time of the year. They have advised parents nottoworry but at also asked them to be cautious..

“The symptoms of both Covid and seasonal flu are quite similar," said Dr Jaya Kumar Reddy, consultant pediatrician Apollo Children’s Hospital. He said both have cough, fever, sore throat, but the flu only lasts for a couple of days and the child recovers on its own. "Also, we've found that in 85% of cases children contract the virus only when they come in contact with someone within their family who has the disease or through neighbours or if they have any recent travel history. If all these are absent, and the child has remainedindoorswiththeothers, they are unlikely to be affected by it,” he said. Experts say weather change has led to panic among parents who are confusing the symptoms of seasonal flu with that of Covid-19. Doctors and pediatricians in the city said they have been getting no less than 10 calls a day from anxious parents.

Change in climate can usually cause sneezing, fever, runny nose, and cough in children, this is natural, said Dr. Suresh Natarajan, senior consultant - general pediatrics, pediatric pulmonology and pediatric allergy specialist from the Rainbow Children's Hospital. "They might start experiencing it in the morning, it will persist in the afternoon, go on till the evening, and the next day. But this seasonal change is unlikely to cause high-grade fever, lasting for days, which is one of the symptoms of Covid.”

The doctor said the easiest way to identify if it is a seasonal flu/infection or Covid is by noting down the child’s temperature and following up for the next 24 hours. If the temperatureis above100°F andthehigh fever persists the next day with fatigue,dry cough, andthechild loses the sense of smell, they can then suspect Covid and it’s better to consult a doctor.

Doctors also urged parents to not skip vaccinations, including that for chickenpox and measles. Many parents are scared to go to clinics now. Dr. Jaya Kumar said most infectious diseases like chickenpox have vaccines and are easily preventable. "These vaccines cannot prevent Covid19, but if a child gets infected with any of the preventable diseases and also Covid, it can be very dangerous. Parents must get their children vaccinated on time, they must not skip it,” he said.