We read many things about this flu that we see few cases in France.
Among the "risk groups", would be "Young children less than 2 years "
must already noted the difficulty diagnosis as myalgia and stiffness do not see. A feverish baby grumpy, it's very commonplace. Does this mean the flu? Any nasopharyngitis can mimic the flu.
Moreover, the flu is not very common among small children. The graph of the distribution of cases according to age, as I observed in my practice in previous years (541 cases) between 2004 and 2009:
Graph: Flu syndrome (Total cases) and age of children (2004 - 2009)
There are few children under two years (68 cases) and peak between 3 and 4 years. At this age the diagnosis is easy. There were no complications in these children, but the hospital has reported some potentially severe sinusitis, which resolved. There are not many big kids in this series, probably because they are more likely in general practitioners.
Prevention:
1. We stay calm.
2. The vaccine is not available and many parents tell me they have some reservations. When the vaccine has been used in others and we know his tolerance and effectiveness, we will advise. Luckily, the production seems a little late here.
3. If an epidemic occurs, it may be reasonable for those in communities to find a mode of individual care in a family member or neighbor.
The disease is here:
If the child is sick, go see her "pediatrician". Pediatricians are familiar with diseases of young children and generally know how to support parents' concerns. First question: is it a flu? The physician can (out of context blatant epidemic) have hesitations. Do not blame him. It's hard pediatrics. The key is assessing the health of the child.
Treatment:
In most cases treatment will be limited to treatment of fever, nose, if it is congested and coughing. Humidification which thins secretions is useful. We think to give to drink, do not cover, and split meals if the child vomits.
It will air the house to limit the concentration of virus and thus the contagion Wearing a mask with the baby seems dangerous to the healthy parents it is illusory.
warning signs are mainly respiratory difficulty breathing, wheezing or respiratory crepitation, feeding difficulty, vomiting.
"Cough is not flu, influenza is not everything"
Illustration: Chloe, 6 months, "Try m'ausculter now" engraving etching (Dr. Gamin)
PS: Australian study published in the NEJM shows Indeed there are more small infants under 1 year hospitalized for influenza, but are not particularly severe forms. In France, there should be a phenomenon amplified because the instructions to doctors, hospital babies summers easily repeated and can understand the prudence of those above (note 6 / 11/2009).
keywords: A (H1N1) baby, child, flu, health, statistics, vaccine
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