As we all know, the symptoms of Swine flu are generally the same as regular flu symptoms. In children however, the symptoms and emergency signs may vary. If your child does have Swine Flu it is important to be able to detect the signs and symptoms as soon as possible. It is beneficial to you and your child to be able to detect those signs early and be able to treat them properly.
The symptoms and signs are generally the same in people whether young, old, or middle aged. The symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, and muscle soreness. Diahrrea and vomitting is also seen more often in children. There are also emergency signs to watch for in children. The CDC recommends to seek immediate medical help if your child/kid/baby has any of these symptoms below:
Emergency Signs in Children:
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing.
- Bluish or gray skin color
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Severe or persistent vomiting
- Not waking up or not interacting
- Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
- Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
A report by New England Journal of Medicine dated May 7, 2009, stated that 60 percent of the cases occurred in people under 18. However, this does not mean that Swine Flu is most deadly in children. In fact most early deaths from this Swine Flu strain were in people aged 25-50. However, this does not mean that you should let the symptoms in your child or adolescent go un-noticed. Treating your child either by home or viral remedies can be very effective.
Mayo Clinic suggests these home remedy tips:
- Drink plenty of liquids. Water, juice and soup are very important! It is suggested that your child drinks enough that their urine is clear or pale yellow.
- Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and sleep.
- Soup, especially chicken soup is good for breaking up congestion.
- Some medications are recommended for treating fevers in children. These include acetaminophen and ibuprofen, although ibuprofen is not recommended for children under 6 months. Aspirin is effective as well, but is not recommend for children, unless approved by a doctor.
As for Antiviral drugs, oseltamivir (trade name Tamiflu ®) and zanamivir (Relenza ®) are generally given to treat those who are severely ill.
Remember, Swine Flu cannot spread through Pork and the transmission of Swine Flu through air is still not fully researched. Currently the UK Health Protection Agency suggests that facial masks are unnecessary for the general public. So basically there is currrently minimal research on the risk of airborne transmissions so we cannot say what kind of precautions you should take in public areas. We can however be educated about the different safety precautions to take. Frequent hand washing, preferably for 15-30 seconds is recommended and prevents germs from spreading on your hands to your face. It is also recommended to tell your children not to touch their eyes, nose, or mouth. The reason why is because this is how infectious disease usually spreads.
If your child has Swine Flu, there is no good reason to panic! There are plenty of treatment options, and deaths by swine flu are rare. The WHO estimates that the Case Fatality Rate is most likely 0.4%. Remember that this is not the rate from America, Mexico had a much higher death rate, so that American death rate is most probably lower.
Important tips to remember for your child:
- If your child exhibits any of the emergency signs above, make sure to seek emergent help.
- Swine Flu can be treated easily; make sure that your child drinks plenty of fluids and gets plenty of rest. Medicine can be helpful for fevers, and Anti Virals are generally necessary for severe cases only. Remember Aspirin should not be used for your child! Talk to your doctor for the best options.
- Make sure your child washes their hands frequently can help prevent Swine Flu altogether. Another obvious, but helpful tip is to keep your children away from people sneezing or coughing, this is generally how influenza’s usually spread!
Overall, there is not much to worry about. Just make sure you follow all of the safety guidelines above and your child should experience a quick and safe recovery!
Loading ...
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
hey its better to be safe than sorry !!
Today being tuesday, we had a big christening party for our daughters on sunday, lots of kids, lots of adults ! It turns out the pregnant wife and two young children of a (confirmed today, started feeling unwell friday) man were at the party, in amongst all the guests including other pregnant women. Any advise ? should I be warning all our guests ?
i have 3 yeara old chid i want to that is this is the sypmtoms of swin flue
1. fever 1oo to 1o3f
2.running nose
3.cough
my son is 4 years old for the last month he has had fever on and off the whole time snotty nose and awful non productive cough. His doc has checked him twice for the flu and it has come back negt done chest xrays and blood work and she keeps saying its viral. so now that we have had to go back today with another fever of 102.5 she seems to think he has the flu and shes going to go ahead and treat him for it even tho all the test keep coming back negative.No one else in our home is sick but him i think its something else any advice?
my daughter 4 yrs old got all of a sudden sick. she doesnt go to school and came down with a fever, soar throat and a cough. fever no lower than 102 but its only been one day 12 hrs… can this be the swine flu??
My 2 year old son was vomitting all saturday night ( every 1/2 hr from 8pm-3:30 am) and twice on sunday. and sunday he had a fever, not sure of temp. but went donw with motrin, now he has started coughing and is not showing physical signs of sickness but still want to just be held my mommy all day. should i take him to the docotr or wait it out? could it be swine flu?
My grandaughter has been complaining about headaches frequently, is this one of the signs of swine flu?
My child has Diabetes. We have already done the seasonal flu vaccine. Would it benefit my child to get the pnuemonia vaccine as well? This appears to be waht is causing death amongst the young. We are not planning on receiving the Swine flu vaccine. It is too new and I see it as experimental.
I have a 3 year old daughter who just started to have a runny nose and very slight cough. No temperature or irritability or loss of appetite what so ever, but her feces is regular consistency, but what alarms me is that it is of a white color instead of the regular brown color. Should I be alarmed? Thank you in advance.
Concerned Mom
I KNOW THIS MIGHT SOUND CRAZY BUT I WAS SITTING IN MY BED LOOKING AT THE NEW AS THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW SMALL CHILDREN WERE DIEING FROM THIS FLU.NOW IM ONLY 20 YEARS LOD WITH TWO CHILDREN AND ONE ON THIS WAY SO YOU ALL KNOW WHAT IM GOING THROUGH AS A PREGNANT WOMAN I CRYED BECAUSE MY GIRL HAS BEEN GETTING SICK ALOT I MEAN TO MUCH SINCE WE MOVED BACK TO MICHIGAN FROM GEORGIA,AND JUST HEARING THAT MY GIRLS COULD HAVE HAD THIS FLU JUST HURT ME DEEP INSIDE. THROUGH OUT ALL MY THINKING AND FEARING I LOOKED AT THE THINGS I SOULD DO IF I THOUGHT MY CHILDREN HAD THIS FLU AND IT MADE ME FEEL GOOD BECAUSE THESE WERE THE THINGS I WAS DOING ALL ALONG JUST TO BRAKE A SIMPLE COLD.
My daughter is 16months and She has a 101.7 temp with runny nose and cough and her breathing is a little fast. The doctor says that it is just a cold. Should I still worry and get a second oppinion?
I work in a health care facility, and they are already having emergency stops put in place. They mentioned that children of school age, if they exhibit any signs of the flu will be out automatically for five days. I think it is important to isolate your child from other children right now, just to be on the safe side. I also think that if one feels flu like symptoms that they should stay HOME!!! No one else wants your germs. The first wave of this H1N1 flu is going to knock everyone off their rear ends.. emergency rooms and clinics will be overrun with people who need treatment and there will not be enough staff to treat everyone in a timely manner.
White poo is not good! Call the doctor!
My son is only a month old now all of the sudden he is coughing alot. Should i be worry about that.Could this be a sign of the swine flu?
I have twin boys that are 7 in the 1st grade. They both have been coughing and then ran fever took them to the doc. and ran the flue test came back positive they treated them both with tama flu but it seems like the cough will not stop… so I wouldn’t take any chances on letting it get worse take your kids to the doc. if running high fever or coughing and get a handle on it before it gets worse.. and yes headaches are a sign of the swine flue..
Can the virus be detected through out the entire time of being sick? How long are you usually sick for? Is there a new test that can tell you if you have the swine flu right away or does it still take a couple days.
My family and I live in China at the moment and I do freak out…they don’t test her for anything, in fact they don’t even examine her at all- they just ask us questions about her. How will I know what to look for if she’s not old enough to tell me she has a headache or sore throat? On the CDC website they said fever and vomiting are not always present so what are some REAL indications? When should I press for the Tamiflu shot? When should I even GO to the doctors if I think she may have swine flu? (Hospitals are VERY different from the States- as in very dirty, people smoking, they are not disinfected AT ALL and Children even going to the bathroom in the halls!)
can you carry the swine flu viruse on clothing , and how long will it live on clothing.
Heyy yes coughing,runny nose,sore throat,and etc
yes, i’m a 22 year old stay at home mom, who is pregnant and has a 9 month old son. i feel where you’re coming from Lisa W. My son and i recently came back from a trip to California. My son is starting to get a cough and fever. I’m so afraid for him. i hope it just turns out to be the regular flu or a cold. He’s still bursting with energy, though, so that’s a good sign. I hope everyone’s child, including mine, turns out ok.
I have currently been having a scratchy throat, bad coughing and it is terribly bad. I keep wondering if I could get the swine flu. I know that it can easily pass. My friends cousin had it and then my friend got it! Ahh, I couldnt believe it. Now, I have been talking and she has been coming over so could this possibly mean that I have it??? This is a really big thing, and is very terrible, Im sure it will strike everybody!!!
DUE TO THE NEWS EVERYWHERE LATELY ABOUT THIS SWINE FLU, I WAS WONDERING WITH MY SON. HE’S ACTING REALLY WEIRD. HE HAS A FEVER OF 101.9 , BUT HE’S ONLY VOMITED ONCE. HE’S COUGHED ONLY A FEW TIMES NOTHING CONSISTENT. I’VE GIVEN HIM SOME MEDICINE FOR FEVER, BUT IT’S STILL NOT WANTING TO BRING THAT FEVER DOWN. DO YOU THINK THIS COULD BE SWINE FLU?
My 9 yr old tested positive for swine flu today. Symptoms include high fever 103.0 sore throat slight headache. Fevers controlled rather quickly with motrin.
Also, he vomited several times but felt pretty good this evening. Get your kids checked to be safe. We are all now on tamiflu as 3 of our kids have asthma. Take care!
Julie
my kids went to a party on sat night and started feeling sick sunday midnight. when i came home from work the next day i noticed both of my kids ages 4 and 5 were not interacting and look very weak. soon enough i found out they had fever. gave them motrin and it relieve the fever but then i notice they started coughing and having runny nose. monday morning although they seem fine, i decided to both take them to see a doctor just in case.. they got tested for swine flu. all day today they seem fine and just about an hour ago my son started to spike a fever. and then i got a call from their doctor and said they are both positive for swine flu…were starting them both with a treatment and hope everything will be fine. so my suggestion is its better to be safe than sorry..have ur kids check, especially with all the things goin on with swine flu..better act now before its too late!
I have the fever. But, it is 38.4 degrees celsius. Could this be sorta like swine flu? I mean, I only have a fever and runny nose, no other symptoms. Could this lead to serious trouble?
just like many of you I am worried about my babies getting swine flu! however the regular flu is worse than swine flu! so to the perspn who was hoping their child had the regular flu and not swine flu, I would be more worried about the regular flu! It is more deadly than swine flu but the media is all over this swine flu and makes us parents worry so much and it’s not even the worst of the flu’s!
All 3 of my children have been very sick, ages 15, 6, and 2. I am mainly worried about my 2 youngest. They have both been running a fever and vomiting for 6 days now. My 6 year old has light asthma, and has almost lost his voice. He still has a fever, but has been staying below 102, and my 2 year old which seems to be the worst, his fever keeps hitting in the 103’s. He has the most vomiting. All 3 are vomiting, temp, and a bad cough. Isn’t 6 days of running a fever for a 2 yr old especially, seem long? I took them to the emergency rm, and they didn’t do anything, just told me to treat the symptoms, but didn’t even run any tests on them at all? I don’t have insurance and I feel that they didn’t try to even attempt to find out exactly what it is due to that fact. What can I do? Please help.
DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT LET YOUR KIDS TAKE THE SWINE FLU SHOT OR SHOTS ITS BAD!!!! IT WILL ONLY MAKE THEM SICKER OR WORSE KILL THEM GOGGLE IT OR GO TO http://WWW.INFOWARS.COM DONT LET OUR CHILDREN BE POLICED BY THE GOVERMENT !!!
i think i have it!
HI MY CHILED HAS BIN BEING SICK SLEEPY HIGH TEMP RUNNY NOSE BAD CHEST HES 2 YR OLD HES MENT TO STAY AT HIS DADS THS WEEK END HIS DAD SAYS AM TIGHT AND I SHOULD LET HIM STAY OVER NIGHT AT HIS BUT MY SON IS TAKEN TAMMI FLU AND EXS GF IS PREGNANT AM I RIGHT TO KEEP HIM WITH ME TILL HES BETTER
April, I’ll research the studies of Dr.’s and those who research and develop vaccines, both pro and con; for my final decisions regarding the swine flu vaccine. If you base your decision on a TV reporter or radio dj’s opinion (the link you posted) you are doing yourself and your family a huge disservice. Also, to say this vaccination will make your kids “sicker” or “kill them” is adding to the uneducated masses who post things on the web and induce panic among others who are willing to believe anyone other than those who actually know a thing or two about disease and vaccinations like MD.’s , vaccination researchers and creaters, the FDA (sometimes:) Your children aren’t being policed by the government, you are being policed by fear and lack of knowledge.
My son is 5 and in the last 2 hours has started vomiting every 15 to 20 mins wont drink nothing or eat nothing. Sweating profusely. Has a low body temp of 96.7. Says his stomach hurts. This morning he was perfectly fine running and playing now he barely will move. He also has been fighting a cold and did have a fever for one day last week but faught it off with motirn. Only had some of the cough. He does still cough with some congestion but not severe. She i get him to the emergency room or wait till dr tomorrow
My son got the swine flu nasal spray this past Monday, on Saturday he developed a 101 fever, headache and congestion, the fever was down today all day now it’s back up to 100 and he just has a runny nose. Not certain if it’s a side effect of the nasal spray or he got sometime of flu or even the swine flu as several kids in his class have swine flu , I am calling the doctor tommorrow morning.
April, please don’t take Alex Jones’ word about the swine flu vaccine. He is not a doctor or biochemist and much of the information about the vaccine on his website is just plain wrong. No matter the administration, Alex Jones is always stirring up fear among the population. It’s healthy to maintain some level of skepticism, but not when children’s lives are on the line.
my daughter is 4 and has had a feverof 101.9 for going on three days now when she sleeps its like shes waking up with difficulty breathing and her skin is clampy and wet is it cuz of her fever???? im staring to get very worried she keeps coughing and has a runny nose her face is kinda red in the cheeck area like a rash kinda should i be concerned????