The flu is an acute viral infection. It is a highly contagious infection. It affects the respiratory tract in the nose and throat, which can sometimes spread to the lungs. It is caused by any of the three types of virus (A, B or C).

It affects people of all ages, but children are at higher risk of getting the flu and flu complications. The flu virus multiplies in the small droplets of saliva that an infected person coughs or sneezes into the air. If the person inhales these droplets, he can become infected. The flu can be further spread when someone with the virus touches common surfaces, like doorknobs, without washing their hands. Children are more likely to transmit the infection to others.

Flu symptoms can begin two to three days after exposure to the flu virus. The flu virus comes on quickly and attacks the upper respiratory system.

• Typical flu symptoms are high fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache, dry cough, exhaustion, etc. These flu symptoms usually last three to four days, but the cough and weakness may continue for a week or two even after the fever has subsided.
• In younger children, in addition to typical flu symptoms, they may experience other respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis, croup, or pneumonia. Some other symptoms that are commonly seen in children are pain in the abdomen, vomiting, and diarrhea. Vomiting is more significant compared to diarrhea. The fever is usually high and irritability may be marked.
• In babies, the signs and symptoms of the flu are not marked and therefore can often go unnoticed. Influenza is less common in babies younger than 6 months, but if the baby experiences the flu, the symptoms of the flu are weakness, poor feeding, and poor circulation.

There are few complications of the flu that occur in children. They are sinus infection, ear infection, or pneumonia.

In case you notice the above flu symptoms in your children, to confirm the flu diagnosis, a diagnostic test for flu known as Direct Fluorescent Antibodies (DFA) should be done. Secretions from the back of the nasopharynx, or the space at the back of the nose, must be obtained for this diagnostic test.

In cases where your child is diagnosed with the flu, you should ensure that the child consumes excessive amounts of fluids and gets adequate rest. Aspirin should never be given to adolescents suffering from flu-like symptoms, especially fever, without a doctor’s advice. Giving aspirin to children and adolescents with the flu can cause a rare but serious illness known as Reye’s syndrome. Non-aspirin-containing medications can be given to children to relieve flu-like symptoms, as recommended by the doctor. In cases where your child’s flu symptoms improve but then the child relapses with a worse fever and cough, you should see your doctor.