I had to get my oldest child out of school last week and take him straight to the pediatrician to figure out if his cough, runny nose, slight fever, and sore through were COVID, flu, or something else. I’m not new to this game. I’ve been taking care of kids who sometimes get sick for almost 13 years! But in a post COVID era, it’s a totally different experience.
I was compensated by Med-IQ through an educational grant from Genentech to write about the signs, symptoms and treatments available for pediatric influenza. All opinions are my own.
Luckily, it wound up being strep, which is a sentence I would only type in bizarro world- like the one we’re living in now- during what’s also flu season.
I wrote last year about the difference between pediatric flu and COVID in kids, in partnership with Med-IQ, and I’m happy to be back with the 2nd post in this sponsored series to share more with parents of children age 1 and older about pediatric flu TREATMENTS. Med-IQ is an accredited medical education company that provides an exceptional educational experience for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals.
3 Things To Know About Pediatric Flu
- Early detection and treatment is so important. I think most of us are likely more attuned to the slightest sniffle or fever our kids get now, especially in the age of COVID, so DETECTING pediatric flu early may be easier. But, we shouldn’t put off an early visit to the pediatrician in an effort to avoid public spaces. Your pediatrician is taking proper precautions to create a safe environment to bring your child in, so don’t put it off.
- Rely on your DOCTOR to answer your concerns about how to treat pediatric flu. Parents often seek out information online; there are numerous concerns regarding the quality of health information and reliability of sources. Please instead call your child’s doctor. When in doubt, you can always call the nurse line.
- Antiviral treatments are MOST effective up to 48 hours after symptoms first appear. Antiviral treatments can reduce the duration of symptoms, lower the risk of complications like pneumonia, lower hospitalizations, and lower mortality.
Antiviral Treatments For Pediatric Flu
Let’s talk more about symptoms.
I touched on this in my first pediatric flu post, but will recap here, too. Early symptoms of flu in children over a year old can include: fever, body aches, deep cough, and dehydration. Remember, doctors advise taking your child in as soon as you suspect they have the flu. If they have any of the following EMERGENCY PEDIATRIC FLU SYMPTOMS, it’s even more important that you take them to an emergency room asap.
My therapist reminded me today that just because we may be “over” living with a pandemic doesn’t mean our brains or our bodies are not still on high alert. And parents are especially stressed after a year of staying vigilant. I hope you’ll take this post as a gentle reminder to not let your guard down when it comes to pediatric flu. Keep an eye out for symptoms, rely on the internet less, and get your kids into the doctor as soon as you can.
More flu resources:
CDC Flu Resource Center
Weekly US Map
Med-IQ is conducting an anonymous survey and would appreciate your input. The survey, which includes additional education on this topic, will take less than 15 minutes to complete. Survey responses are shared only in aggregate. Your responses to these survey questions will provide Med-IQ with important information about your experiences with pediatric influenza, which will help us develop future educational initiatives. Once you’ve completed the survey, you will have the option of providing your email address to be entered into a drawing administered by SOMA Strategies to win 1 of 10 $100 VISA gift cards. If you choose to enter, your email address will be used only to randomly draw the winners and notify them of their prize and to send a follow-up survey as part of this same initiative.
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