16.07.09 - Stomach Flu In Children

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

The disease we call stomach flu is known medically as gastroenteritis. It's an irritation of the stomach and intestines. The throwing up and diarrhea it causes usually go away in 2 to 5 days.

How is flu spread among children?

Flu symptoms are highly contagious, particularly when people share close quarters as children do in school classrooms. Flu is spread among children when a child either inhales infected droplets in the air (coughed up or sneezed by an infected person) or when the child comes in direct contact with an infected person's secretions. This can happen, for example, when they share pencils at school or play computer games and share the remotes or share utensils such as spoons and forks. Hand to hand contact is also important to consider when thinking about how flu is spread.

Signs/Symptoms

The chief symptoms are an upset stomach, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea.

The child may have a fever ,

Chills and shakes with the fever

Lost of Appetite

Extreme tiredness

Headache and body aches

Dry, hacking cough

Sore throat

Belly pain

Hazel is down with stomach flu , with fever as high as 38.9 and diarrhea for many many times. Lost of appetite. :(

She is a brave fighter with not much compliants other than tummy and backside pain. :(

Poor Hazel could not keep anything in , and did not eat much for the whole day. Went without pampers in the afternoon and told us correctly when she needs to pee or diarrhea. She missed once or twice which mummy was already proud of her.