$Unique_ID{PAR00109}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Influenza}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Influenza chills temperature rise Flushing Headache Sore throat Cough
limbs limb Pain Vomiting diarrhea fever acetaminophen aspirin Reye's syndrome
vaccine viral infection upper respiratory tract flu muscle aches coughing
fever influenza A influenza B nose droplets throat discharges eye redness eyes
Secondary bacterial complications earache stiff neck confusion weakness
exhaustion collapse cultures blood tests antibiotics Vaccines virus strains
viruses rheumatic congenital hypertensive heart disease cystic fibrosis asthma
tuberculosis nephrosis chronic nephritis nervous system diseases diabetes}
$Log{}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Influenza


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Sudden chills
     - Sharp rise in temperature
     - Flushing
     - Headache
     - Sore throat
     - Cough
     - Pain in the back and limbs
     - Vomiting and diarrhea (in young children)

     HOME CARE
     - Bed rest is necessary while the fever is high.
     - Give acetaminophen, not aspirin, for fever and pain.
     - Have the child drink plenty of fluids.
     - Isolate the child from other family members.
     - Keep the child home from school until he is completely well.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Because the use of aspirin to treat influenza has been associated with
       Reye's syndrome, do not give aspirin.  Use acetaminophen instead.
     - Do not assume that the child is better because the fever goes away for
       a day.  It will probably recur.
     - Watch for complications and inform the doctor if they occur.
     - Do not allow the child to resume everyday activities until the
       temperature has been normal for at least two days.
     - Influenza vaccines are not generally recommended for children who do
       not fall into a "high-risk" category.


     A child with any viral infection of the upper respiratory tract will
probably be described as having the "flu," particularly if the child also has
chills, fever, a cough, and muscle aches.  However, true influenza is a
specific, highly contagious respiratory infection that occurs in epidemics in
which large numbers of persons in a community get the disease within a short
period of time.  It is caused by the influenza A or influenza B virus and is
transmitted by droplets from nose and throat discharges of persons who have
the disease.  Influenza has a short incubation period (the time it takes for
symptoms to develop once a person has been exposed to the virus) of one to
three days and is contagious for seven days, starting before symptoms appear.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     The symptoms of influenza are sudden chills, a sharp rise in temperature
to 102 degrees_F to 106 degrees_F, flushing, headache, sore throat, a hacking
cough, redness of the eyes, and pains in the back and limbs.  Young children
may vomit and have diarrhea.  Fever lasts three to four days and is followed
by days of weakness and fatigue, during which the child is susceptible to
other illnesses.
     Secondary bacterial complications are responsible for many of the serious
outcomes of flu.  Their presence is suggested by the following: the return of
high fever after the child's temperature has been normal for three or four
days; progressive worsening of the cough, changing from dry and hacking to
loose and productive; formation of pus in the eyes; rapid breathing and
shortness of breath beyond that expected from the fever; severe earache; stiff
neck; confusion; and extreme weakness, exhaustion, or collapse.
     In isolated cases, flu cannot be diagnosed with certainty by physical
examination.  During an epidemic, the disease is diagnosed by similarity to
other cases.

HOME CARE

     The prescription for home care includes bed rest during the height of the
fever and acetaminophen, not aspirin, for fever and pains.  You should
encourage the child to drink a lot of fluids.  Keep the child isolated from
the rest of the family, and do not let the child return to school until fully
recovered.  This will lessen the child's chances of getting another disease
while his resistance is lowered by the influenza.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  Reye's syndrome has been linked to the use of aspirin to treat influenza.
     Although a cause-and-effect relationship has not been established,
     aspirin should not be given if your child is suspected of having
     influenza.  Watch for signs of complications, and report them to your
     doctor.
  -  If there are no complications, the fever accompanying influenza often
     peaks in two cycles.  The child's temperature is elevated for a day or
     two, normal for a day, and then elevated for a day or two.  Do not
     misinterpret 24 hours of normal temperature as indicating a "cure," and
     do not allow your child to resume normal activities until the temperature
     has been normal for two or more days.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     If complications occur, cultures, blood tests, antibiotics, and
hospitalization may be required.
     Vaccines to prevent influenza are not very helpful for children.  The
influenza viruses have a number of different strains, which change their
structures from year to year.  Therefore, last year's vaccine may be useless
against this year's virus.  Moreover, reactions to influenza vaccines in
children are frequent, although these reactions are rarely serious.  At the
moment, medical experts advise that only children at special risk from
influenza should be immunized annually.  The conditions that are considered
special risks are rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease,
hypertensive heart disease, cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, tuberculosis,
nephrosis, chronic nephritis, chronic diseases of the nervous system, and
diabetes.

RELATED TOPICS:  Asthma; Common cold; Coughs; Cystic fibrosis; Diabetes
mellitus; Fever; Meningitis; Nephritis; Reye's syndrome