Precautions
• Reye’s syndrome has been linked to the use of aspirin during influenza. Although a cause-and-effect relationship has not been established, aspirin should not be given if your child is suspected of having influenza. Watch for signs of complications and report them to your doctor.
• If there are no complications, the fever accompanying influenza often peaks in two cycles. The child’s temperature is elevated for a day or two, normal for a day, then elevated for a day or two. Do not misinterpret 24 hours of normal temperature as a “cure,” and do not allow your child to resume activities until the temperature is normal for two or more days.
Medical treatment
If there are no complications, the doctor will tell you to continue with the home treatment described above. If complications occur, cultures, blood tests, antibiotics, and hospitalization may be required. Vaccines to prevent influenza are not very helpful for children. The influenza viruses have a number of different strains that change their structures from year to year. Therefore, last year’s vaccine may be useless against this year’s virus. Moreover, reactions to influenza vaccines in children are frequent, although these reactions are rarely serious. At the moment, medical experts advise that only children at special risk from influenza should be immunized annually. The conditions that constitute “special risks” are: rheumatic heart disease, congenital and hypertensive heart disease, cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, tuberculosis, nephrosis, chronic nephritis, chronic diseases of the nervous system, and diabetes.
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