Parenthood can be exhilarating, confusing and exasperating.

Sometimes for a new parent, the feelings can vary from joy to ultimate introspection on whether you are good enough for the role. But do not despair; all parents world over have had their hiccups in the journey of parenting.

One of those confusing ailments amongst many baby blues is the flu. It can present with confusing signs that could be mistaken for malaria. There are even those parents who quickly give an antimalarial whenever a fever threatens. This is not good.

As for others, many trips are made to the physician only to be told it is a viral infection, wait it out or something. It can be draining to be told it is such a simple ailment which had you up and about. It is not always easy to tell your child has flu.

Children tend to feel worse with symptoms such as high-grade fever of up to 104°F, chills, extreme tiredness, headache and sore throat. Children with flu, unlike adults, can also present with nausea, stomach pain and vomiting.

HOW DOES IT SPREAD?

Flu is highly contagious, particularly when children share close quarters like they do in school classrooms. It comes when they inhale droplets coughed up or sneezed by an infected person.

It can also easily move from child to child as they share things such as pencils, toys, computers, remotes, spoons and forks. And, many newborns easily contact flu because their immunity is being exposed for the first time and hence, it may not be strong enough to combat it.

TREATMENT

Although there is no common cure for flu, a quick scan of pharmacy shelves reveals a host of non-prescription products formulated to manage and treat its symptoms.

Pharmacists are pivotal in assisting patients in the selection and proper use of OTC (over the counter) medicines. The proper use of OTC cold products in paediatric patients has been a topic of debate for many years.

Currently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not recommend the use of the products in patients younger than two years.  Manufacturers have voluntarily updated their product labels to include this statement: “do not use this product under the age of two years”. Warnings are also included against the use of antihistamines containing products for sedation purposes.

If your child gets the flu:

Offer plenty of fluids (fever which comes with common flu can lead to dehydration) such as water, juice – especially orange juice since it is rich in Vitamin C, essential in combating flu.

Encourage your child to rest, if possible.

It is also important to always have Paracetamol syrup and normal saline nasal drops in the first aid box at home. The Paracetamol can help bring down the fever or any ache, for that matter.

If you have a very young child with congestion, then you can drop a few drops of normal saline drops in each nostril to loosen the mucus (decongestion) and also to improve breathing.

WHEN SHOULD I TAKE MY CHILD TO THE HOSPITAL?

When the child has trouble breathing that does not get better after you suction and clean her nose, consider going to see a doctor. If baby also seems sicker than in the previous episodes or shows signs of dehydration, go to a doctor.

immyn2005@gmail.com
The writer is a registered pharmacist with the ministry of health.