Recognizing Flu Symptoms in Kids - Get Your Child the Right Treatment Without Delay

Do you normally get confused about what illness your child has? Lots of parents confuse flu symptoms with those of a common cold. When the child is very young then the symptoms are easy confused with those of a bacterial infection. As a result, they are unable to give the child the correct medical treatment. While this doesn't always have serious consequences (although a few kids have died needlessly because they did not get the right treatment), it most often results in the child having to undergo an unnecessary amount of discomfort. Also, if you know that your child has the flu then you can take steps to isolate him or her so that other people do not get the illness.

One of the first things you ought to know is that flu symptoms in kids are generally more severe than those of common colds. The child generally suffers from a high grade fever, accompanied by chills and shakes, which can even touch 104 degrees F. Another set of symptoms that you have to look out for are tiredness as well as headaches and body aches. If your child suffers from a cough and a sore throat in addition to these symptoms then you can be quite sure that your child has the flu. Some children might even suffer from vomiting and diarrhea as a result of having the flu.

A tell-tale sign of flu in children is that the symptoms start with almost no warning and cause the child to feel very unwell during the first few days. Even if most of the symptoms go away after four days or so, your child is likely to have a bad cough that stays on for a couple of weeks. This might cause you to confuse it with respiratory tract infections.

You'll find it very easy to deal with most flu symptoms on your own. Make sure that you give your child medications to bring down the temperature and also to soothe the cough and sore throat. If however the fever continues after three days or the cold symptoms are still going strong after 10 days then you ought to take your child to a doctor. Also, if your child suffers from asthma or suffers from illnesses of the respiratory system frequently then you ought to seek medical treatment without delay. This will help protect your child's illness from becoming very severe and unmanageable.