In this article, we will look at a common disease like intestinal flu, talk about how it is transmitted, describe the main symptoms and ways of treatment, tell you how long it lasts and what should be the food for intestinal flu.
Intestinal flu in children: symptoms
Intestinal flu is the second name of rotavirus infection. Determine that your crumb begins this disease, you can by such signs:
- diarrhea (the stool can be yellowish, foamy, but without mucus and blood), loud rumbling in the abdomen;
- a sharp increase in body temperature (up to 38-39 ° C);
- a runny nose, shortness of nasal breathing;
- dry cough;
- nausea and vomiting;
- reddened throat;
- a couple of days after the onset of the disease, lymph nodes increase;
- dehydration (with thirst, dry or sticky mouth, dry and rough lips, "sunken" fontanel, lethargy).
It should be remembered that the intestinal flu virus is transmitted by traditional, contact way through everyday items, water, dishes, personal belongings. That is why it is so important to observe quarantine: allocate a separate bed for the patient, utensils, thoroughly disinfect personal belongings, and regularly disinfect the floor in the patient's room. To prevent infection, parents should teach their children to follow the rules of hygiene, when you come home, wash your hands thoroughly with soap, do not drink or eat from the dishes of sick family members, etc.
Treatment of intestinal flu in children:
Despite the similarity of the symptoms of rotavirus infection with a cold, it needs to be treated differently. Consider what to take with intestinal flu, and from what medicines it is better to refuse.
- To treat intestinal flu follows antiviral drugs, antibiotics should not be used in any case - they will not be able to cope with the infection, since intestinal flu is a viral, not a bacterial disease.
- The child must definitely give a lot of drink. For this, compotes of dried fruits, mineral water without gas, tea with lemon will suit. Drink them must often and gradually - at least a couple of sips every 10-15 minutes.
- It is not bad to take sorbents - they will help to remove toxins and virus from the body.
- In no case can not use antidiarrhoeal drugs - the virus must go out, and not accumulate in the body.
- Since in the first days of the disease the digestive system of a person is experiencing a serious malfunction, the patient's diet should be dietetic, sparing (porridge without butter, vegetable purees, etc.). In some cases (after mandatory preliminary medical consultation) shows the use of enzyme preparations (pancreatin, creon, etc.).
If you have symptoms of intestinal flu, you should immediately consult a doctor. If the baby refuses to drink, the vomiting is repeated very often, the feces change color (or there are admixtures of blood, mucus), if the intoxication is already so strong that the baby almost all the time sleeps or if the fever does not pass more than 4-5 days, you can not lose either minutes! Urgently call the doctor and call an ambulance.
Prevention of intestinal flu
Everyone knows that it is much easier and safer to prevent a disease than to cure it. In addition, the effects of intestinal flu, not cured in time, can be very, very serious - more than 600,000 children die from rotavirus infection every year.
Considering the main way of spreading rotavirus infection (fecal-oral), it is of great importance to observe hygiene standards.
After the end of the illness, the baby will benefit from the use of fermented milk products and preparations that restore the intestinal microflora.