Children with flu symptoms after three queens: these are the advice doctors give

Health authorities will make the use of face masks compulsory in health centers on Monday after a rise in respiratory infections in recent weeks. However, the final decision on whether to enforce it or not rests with the community.

This recommendation is supported by the Association of Family Medicine, the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES) and the Federation of Societies Defending Public Health (FADSP), who even recommend extending the mandatory nature of wearing masks to public transportation and places without adequate ventilation.

Flu is also expected to spread significantly after the Christmas holidays, with schools one of the most problematic sources as children return to school on Monday.

Doctor’s advice if a child develops symptoms

Therefore, doctors recommend that children use masks or rest at home if they have such diseases. flu symptoms This could increase cases and infection rates among adults in January.

Dr. Antonio Zapatero, former president of the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (SEMI) and head of the Internal Medicine Service at Fuenlabrada University Hospital in Madrid, suggested in an interview with Servimedia,Influenza vaccination for children under 5 years oldbecause they can still do it, and so can vulnerable groups (elderly people, healthcare workers, immunosuppressed people…).

His other piece of advice is to “avoid going to school if your child is not feeling well, even if the symptoms are subsided,” even if it means a problem for parents People who work outside the home. The possibility of infecting teachers and classmates is “high.” “When children return to school after the Christmas break, the vertical rise in influenza infections will continue to rise in two to three weeks,” he stressed, referring to the health system’s Week 52 2023 report. Monitoring shows that there are 167.75 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, “well above the epidemic threshold.”

So in the coming weeks, doctors hope Transmission of the disease increases among the youngest peopleThis is especially true for children under 5 years old, as they are “4 to 5 times more likely” to develop the disease than adults. In addition, children have “higher virus concentrations” in and around their bodies, Viruses ‘longer lasting’ than adults

according to Dr. Zapatero.

Returning to the classroom will bring together many students with obvious flu symptoms, as well as children who are just recovering from this respiratory infection. “It is true that minors with flu symptoms may infect classmates and teachers at school, their relatives and the elderly. And it is possible that in the coming weeks Growth levels remain high“He added.

The Importance of Ventilation Courses

Regarding ventilation in schools, which remains an open question, the former president of the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine said, assuring that, in general, “classrooms cannot be adequately ventilated”. “No progress has been made on ventilation issues in schools. Therefore, If you have a child with a high viral load in a small space, he or she is likely to infect more people., especially if the child has symptoms. “

He recalled, “He could infect his colleagues, even teachers, many of whom also had to take sick leave, and infect their relatives.” Regarding the infection cycle of influenza, “The incubation period is about five or six days, Until the first symptoms appear,” and then they also have the ability to infect for about two weeks. Furthermore, Dr. Zapatero predicted that “this will continue to be the case,” although he detailed that “there are also more optimistic experts who say, When the peak of infection is very vertical, the decline is also very vertical

; Even so, I think we’ll have events happening throughout January. “Children have more influenza viruses in their bodies due to “pure anatomical issues,” as explained by the head of the internal medicine service at the Fuenlabrada University Hospital, he recalled.

Finally, young children “have a greater capacity to carry more viruses and remain in the respiratory tract longer.” Therefore, during these days of family gatherings, it is recommended that “older adults spend more time with their children, Minors wear masks themselves If they have flu-like symptoms or have just gotten sick,” he noted.