With the arrival of autumn and winter, the number of influenza cases in many places has gradually increased, and the weekly monitoring report released by the National Influenza Center of China shows that from October 10 to 16, the positive rate of influenza virus testing in southern provinces continued to rise, and influenza activity in individual northern provinces increased slightly.
How is the flu infection in children? What should parents do to prevent the flu? Regarding the relevant situation, the reporter interviewed Zhong Lili, director of the Children's Medical Center of the Hunan Provincial People's Hospital.
Children are more susceptible to influenza than adults
Zhong Lili said that influenza is referred to as influenza, which is different from the commonly known cold, and it specifically refers to acute respiratory infections caused by influenza viruses that are seriously harmful to human health.
The child is waiting in the hospital. Image courtesy of Hunan Provincial People's Hospital
"The flu has more severe symptoms than the common cold, and children have the highest rates of infection compared to other populations." Zhong Lili said that the main manifestations of influenza are fever, headache, and general malaise, and the body temperature can reach 39-40 degrees Celsius, and the fever level in children is usually higher than that in adults.
According to information released by the CDC, family- and community-based studies in different countries show that about 20%-40% of symptomatic children can develop flu-like symptoms (fever with cough or sore throat), while up to half of symptomatic people can develop acute upper respiratory symptoms.
"Schools and childcare institutions are collective places, and children gather and have close contact in collective places, and children's respiratory tracts are less developed than adults, and their own immune systems are in a state of development, which is susceptible to influenza invasion, and once there are influenza cases, it is easy to lead to the spread of diseases." Zhong Lili said.
Children are at high risk of severe influenza
"The child has had a high fever for 2 days in a row, and after taking some medicine to press it down, the effect of the medicine has passed and it will burn again, and the whole family will take turns to take care of it and dare not close his eyes." The mother of a 4-year-old boy who came to the clinic said anxiously.
Zhong Lili introduced that this situation is now more common in outpatient clinics, a child is sick, at least one parent needs to accompany him, and young children may need two or more parents to take care of, and the cost of cost, time, and energy is much higher than that of adults.
"Children are not only susceptible to influenza, but also at high risk of severe influenza. Children under the age of 5 are more likely to have serious complications, and parents must pay close attention to them. Zhong Lili said that the onset of influenza is acute, and some patients are prone to develop severe influenza cases due to complications such as pneumonia or aggravation of underlying diseases, and a small number of critical cases have rapid progression and can die due to complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute necrotizing encephalopathy or plastic bronchi.
She said that early diagnosis and early antiviral treatment are the key to the treatment of severe cases. It is currently the season of mycoplasma pneumonia epidemic and influenza, so it is also important to detect and monitor cases, triage patients, and reduce cross-infection.
Zhong Lili especially reminded parents that when their children have sudden fever, especially high fever, severe systemic symptoms, myalgia and other symptoms, and have a history of contact with influenza-like patients, they should go to the hospital as soon as possible to complete relevant examinations and treatment. Actively treat primary diseases (such as congenital heart disease, chronic lung diseases such as asthma, nephrotic syndrome, congenital immunodeficiency and other underlying diseases) for severely ill children, prevent and treat complications, and provide effective organ function support.
Experts: Getting a flu vaccine reduces the risk of infection
As children are at high risk of contracting the influenza virus, receiving the flu vaccine not only reduces the risk of infection, morbidity and severe disease on their own, but also reduces the risk of infection for other family members.
On the issue of influenza vaccination, the CDC has formed the Technical Guidelines for Influenza Vaccination in China (2022-2023) on the basis of the 2024 version of the guidelines. The new guidelines clearly recommend that all people ≥ 6 months of age who have no contraindications to vaccination should receive the influenza vaccine. Priority is given to key and high-risk groups such as health care workers, seniors aged 60 and above, people with one or more chronic diseases, family members and caregivers of children aged 6-59 months and infants under 6 months of age.
In response to the fact that infants under the age of 6 months cannot be vaccinated against influenza, Zhong Lili said that children in the younger age group are at high risk of severe illness after being infected with influenza, so it is recommended that family members and caregivers should also get vaccinated as soon as possible to reduce the risk of infection, thereby indirectly providing protection for infants under 6 months of age. In addition, children with chronic lung diseases such as asthma, nephrotic syndrome, and congenital immunodeficiency are not immune to vaccination, and can be vaccinated after evaluation by a doctor.
Considering that influenza is mainly transmitted by respiratory droplets, and can also be transmitted through direct or indirect contact with the oral cavity and nasal mucosa, Zhong reminded the public to take precautions against influenza, including washing hands frequently, wearing masks when necessary, covering the mouth and nose with a handkerchief or tissue when sneezing or coughing, to avoid droplets infecting others, and minimizing the number of places where people gather during the flu season. At the same time, in daily life, we should pay attention to balanced nutrition, moderate exercise, and sufficient sleep, enhance children's immunity, improve disease resistance, and pay attention to opening windows and ventilation at home to maintain air circulation. (Qiao Yeqiong, intern Hu Haiyue)