Flu

Influenza is considered a seasonal viral infection, but in actuality, you can get it any time of the year. It is just that we usually see it peak in the colder months with kids returning to school and everyone huddled indoors to stay warm and hang out for the holiday season. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of subtypes of influenza, but most yield similar symptoms of fever, muscle aches, congestion, cough, headaches, and sore throats. In comparison to other little coughs and colds, people usually know when they have the flu. It will totally knock an adult or kid out for a good 3-5 days. In younger children, we often see more of the cough and cold symptoms than the muscle aches and headaches that we see in older kids. If we diagnose it early enough (within the first 72 hours of the start of symptoms), we can give a medicine called Tamiflu (oseltamivir) that can lessen and shorten the duration of symptoms. But in all honesty, most kids over 6-12 months old without other concerning past medical histories recover just fine without Tamiflu given enough supportive care and rest at home. Post-flu kids can get complications such as ear infections and pneumonia. So if it looks like Jenny or Johnny are getting better with over 24 hours of no fever, then boom! They have a new fever with worsening cough or ear pain; they should say hi to their friendly pediatrician for a good physical exam.