Viral infections are very common in children like diarrhea, upper airway infections, high grade fever like dengue, chickengunya, swine flu. First and foremost cause of infections we think is because of virus.
WHEN A CHILD COMES TO outreach patient department with concern symptoms the queries and thinking of parents are:
1)Why child is having high grade fever and such a cold cough.
2)Why he/she is not eating.
3)Why he/she is cranky.
4)Fever is setting with medicines but come again and frequent.
5)We think he/she will be fine after giving antibiotics.
6)Need any blood test.
7)How many days will it take to settle?
So how to deal with viral infections and what is the main concern for that:
1)Firstly viral infections show same symptoms like bacterial infection like high grade fever, cough and cold, body aches. So in a viral infection a child can get mild to high grade fever and other symptoms.
2)When a child is sick or even adults are sick, they generally don’t feel good to eat like pain in throat, body aches, and nausea hampers the desire to eat. So if a child is ill specially viral infections, focus only on liquid diet as it helps in maintain hydration and child will not resent having liquids. Plenty of liquids help recovering fast from viral infections.
3)If a child is ill, she/he feels uneasiness and sometimes pain in infections. If they are not comfortable they tend to show their crankiness because of underlying issues.
4)As fever in infections have a pattern sometimes low grade to high grade and vice versa and sometimes more frequent to less frequent or vice versa. With antipyretics fever settles and comes again according to its pattern and takes time to settle.
5)Antibiotics are not the first step to treat in viral infections except for some particular signs and symptoms of bacterial infection. Viral infection takes it time to settle. What best we can do is to give supportive treatment then firstly adding antibiotics.
6)Initial days of infection especially viral don’t need investigations except for few like dengue; swine flu etc. Very early investigations sometimes are not diagnostic. We should wait 4-5days until its required and assessed by Pediatrician.
7)Generally viral infections take 7-10 days to settle and sometimes up to 14 days. But supportive treatment is always required to heal the problems.
8)This clears in the mind that viral infections has its own points which don’t always favors antibiotics. As excessive use of it hampers bacterial gut flora also. Viral infection has its own course and takes time to settle. Don’t hurry for investigation. Care for child, keep surroundings clean, maintain hygiene, built up immunity, have good diet. These measures help to prevent viral infections. So don’t under and overestimate viral infections.
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