How Do You Tell If Your Child Has Swine Flu?
With swine flu once again resurging in Mexico, and bearing in mind the large number of cases being reported worldwide, it is reasonable to become acquainted with the symptoms and treatment actions necessary in the case of your children catching this infection, as the chances of coming into contact with this contagious disease are becoming higher by the day.
HOW CATCHY IS IT?
Swine flu is very contagious, and can be caught by inhaling micro-droplets breathed out by an infected person, or by touching them, shaking hands for example, or coming into contact with body fluids such as saliva. The problem is that our bodies do not have natural antibodies against this strain of flu because it is a new strain. Usually, once a person is suspected by a doctor of having swine flu, they are kept at home for 10 days to prevent them infecting more people. Often family members living in the same home are also requested to stay at home if possible.
SO WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Symptoms are, unfortunately, very similar to normal flu:
1. Fever
2. Headache
3. Aches in the body
4. Runny Nose.
5. Cough
6. Sore throat
And some a little less usual:
7. Vomiting / diarrhea
8. Chills
When the infection becomes severe, further symptoms are:
-> pneumonia, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, a blue or gray skin color, persistent vomiting or diarrhea, extreme tiredness or non responsiveness.
WHAT MUST YOU DO?
As soon as the child has shown these symptoms for more that 24 hours, take them to the doctor and explain that you suspect swine flu. He will do some tests and send these off for analysis. This analysis takes awhile, up to 10 days in some countries, so the doctor will treat your child in the meantime, as swine flu is too dangerous to leave untreated. He will put your child on an antibiotic and other medicine to help her cope with the effects of the flu, and in a lot of cases, this will heal the swine flu and they will recover normally.
Young children and pregnant mothers, as well as the old and those who are already sick with another ailment, are those who are most at risk from this disease.
If your child is not getting any better near the end of the antibiotic course, phone or visit the doctor again and let him know that it's not going so well, so that he can take the necessary action, such as give you a repeat prescription of the antibiotic.
Once the tests are back, the doctor will then contact you and let you know if your child needs to go onto the medication which has been developed for swine flu.
Also an excellent idea is to pray, if you are not already!
OUTLOOK
Most healthy kids will soon recover from swine flu, many of them with very little medication. But we need to be vigilant and take the necessary precautions, as it can be a killer. The death rate is about the same as for normal flu, so with the right precautions and prompt treatment, there should be no major problems.
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posted by Bradley47 at
3:48 PM
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