Child Illnesses: Know These Symptoms

Children may be naughty and difficult at times, but the chirpier they are the better it feels! A quiet and inactive child is extremely nightmarish for parents. And this happens when one of the common child illnesses hits them.

The first time parents generally don’t realize that these diseases usually have symptoms, and some initial behavioural signs can help us resort to immediate medical attention before the illnesses take a toll on the child's health.

The Med Guru brings to you some of the most easily contracted infections that children tend to pick up from schools and play areas. While some are common and some not so, it’s the parents and the child who suffer invariably.

• Ear Infections: The symptoms to this begin as ear aches and irritations inside the ear. The child experiences pain in the ear lobes on moving them and might tend to keep tugging at it.

This infection is bacterial and can be treated with antibiotic ear drops. Children pick up ear infections from the swimming pool, a close interaction from another infected child or post a respiratory tract infection that internally builds up to the ear cavity.

• Conjunctivitis: Conjunctivitis or ‘pink eye’ as most call it, make your little one’s eyes go sore with redness and discharge. While it can be either viral or bacterial, the discharge is thick and yellowish in bacterial and clear in viral.

Antibiotic eye drops help in reducing the redness as well as the communicability. But viral infections go only after the discharge has completely stopped.

• Rotavirus – A fairly common illness these days is the rotavirus infection that arises from any contacts with the infected, be it a handshake or a peck on the cheek.

Mostly affecting kids less than 2 years of age, rotavirus causes water diarrhoea accompanied or not by fever and vomiting. Eventually, this infection causes dehydration resulting in a weak, irritable and weak child.

There are vaccinations now, however, in case the child still contracts the disease, the diet must be modified into a fluids rich diet. Increased fluid intake after vomits helps maintain and restore the digestion balance. Once the virus is flushed from the system, digestion is restored and the recovery begins.

• Flu: Influenza, commonly called as ‘Flu’ is caused by Influenza virus ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’. Triggering infection in the respiratory tract, flu causes high fever, severe headaches, chills, body ache and nasal congestion.

Avoid further communication of the disease by maintaining hygiene by washing the hands properly with antiseptic soap and also using disposable tissues for clearing the mucus.

Diet wise, plenty of fluids and fresh food and lots of rest help the children recover faster. Never administer aspirin during flu to your child, as it may lead to dangerous side effects.

Child illnesses are very common and everyone has to go through it once in a while. Just be attentive towards the symptoms and consult a doctor immediately. Never try self-medication.