Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

What To Do For Child Having Flu Frequently?

My 3 year old son keeps having the flu. It seems that every 6 weeks he vomits and gets really sick. We've been through it 6 times in the last 9 months. This time, like the last time, he threw up one day, seemed to get better, and 48 hours later threw up more. He has had violent diarrhea too. Our pediatrician just says he's fighting viruses. Is there anything I should be thinking about other than that? I'm really worried. Could it be allergies of some kind, or something more serious? Please advise and thank you.
posted on Thu, 13 Mar 2014
Twitter Sat, 31 Jan 2015 Answered on
Twitter Mon, 2 Feb 2015 Last reviewed on
Report Abuse
Pediatrician,  's  Response
Fever and cough are very common ailments in children. Most of the times it is caused by certain viruses. Some children are more prone to repeatedly catching cold but the propensity comes down with age. His tonsils need to be evaluated as increase in size of the tonsils could often be related to such frequent episodes of catching cold. Tonsillitis could be associated with recurrent episodes of cough and cold. If the episodes are too frequent, surgery may be required, but not otherwise.

The treatment of fever is use of plain paracetamol to reduce temperature. Usually it is associated with an allergic component and use of some antiallergic like cetirizine should help. Antibiotics are generally not required as they are ineffective against viruses. It should recover on its own in 5-7 days. Steam inhalation should be helpful in diluting the cough.

For the episodes of diarrhoea or vomiting, proper replenishment of the lost salts and water needs to be done the the use of ORS. You have to add a full sachet in the designated amount of water (200 ml or 1 litre depending on the size of the sachet). It needs to be given sip by sip. Antibiotics are not needed unless associated with bloody diarrhoea.

I do not think that it is serious. But in case the child becomes lethargic or does not feed well, I insist that you take him to your doctor.
I find this answer helpful
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Related questions you may be interested in


Recent questions on Influenza


Loading Online Doctors....
What To Do For Child Having Flu Frequently?

Fever and cough are very common ailments in children. Most of the times it is caused by certain viruses. Some children are more prone to repeatedly catching cold but the propensity comes down with age. His tonsils need to be evaluated as increase in size of the tonsils could often be related to such frequent episodes of catching cold. Tonsillitis could be associated with recurrent episodes of cough and cold. If the episodes are too frequent, surgery may be required, but not otherwise. The treatment of fever is use of plain paracetamol to reduce temperature. Usually it is associated with an allergic component and use of some antiallergic like cetirizine should help. Antibiotics are generally not required as they are ineffective against viruses. It should recover on its own in 5-7 days. Steam inhalation should be helpful in diluting the cough. For the episodes of diarrhoea or vomiting, proper replenishment of the lost salts and water needs to be done the the use of ORS. You have to add a full sachet in the designated amount of water (200 ml or 1 litre depending on the size of the sachet). It needs to be given sip by sip. Antibiotics are not needed unless associated with bloody diarrhoea. I do not think that it is serious. But in case the child becomes lethargic or does not feed well, I insist that you take him to your doctor.