Flu Symptoms (a common contagious, acute infection caused by a virus)
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Emergent Care - Have you identified one or more of the following symptoms?
- Fever with rash, stiff neck, severe headache, acts very irritable or confused
- Shortness of breath (SOB) with fever
- Fever with bloody sputum, wet-sounding cough and chest pain
- Symptoms of dehydration (dry mouth and little or no urine output, little or no fluid intake, sunken "soft spot"(fontanel) no tears)
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Seek Immediate Medical Attention!
These symptoms can be life-threatening. |
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| it usually takes 2-3 days from the time a child is exposed to the virus until the child shows symptoms. This is called the "incubation period".
the virus can last 7-10 days. This is called the "duration". Avoid using left over antibiotics. They only help a bacterial illness and have no effect on viruses.
A child should be kept at home until he or she is without fever for 24 hours and begins to regain appetite and energy.
nausea and vomiting are not usually symptoms of the flu unless accompanied by cough, headache and sore throat. |
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Urgent Care - Have you identified one or more of the following symptoms?
- pain in eyes or sinus area
- child with chronic illness (e.g. diabetes, heart disease etc.)
- fever of 100.4 ((rectal) or greater, lasting longer than 2- 3 days
- ear pain, discharge from ear with fever of 100.4 ((rectal) or greater
- symptoms last longer than 7-10 days with little or no improvement
- sore throat and fever for more than 48 hours (without cold symptoms)
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Contact Your Health Care Provider. |
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Self-Management - You can help in the following ways:
- encourage bed rest while child feels uncomfortable
- cool mist humidifier
- over the counter (OTC) cough medications as recommended by your Health Care Provider
- acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) for fever, body aches and pains (avoid aspirin)
- decongestant for nasal congestion as recommended by your Health Care Provider (children over 6 months only)
- For Sore Throat: 8 years or older gargle every 24 hours with warm salt water (1/8 teaspoon of salt to 8 oz of water) use cough drops or throat lozenges; 6 years of age or younger suck on lozenges or hard candy; 4 years old and younger use 1 teaspoon of corn syrup to soothe the throat; soft diet and lots of fluids (popsicles are good)
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