Children with fever due to Covid-19, when to contact medical staff?

Common symptoms in people with Covid-19 include: fever or chills; cough, sore throat; fatigue, body aches; headache; stuffy or runny nose; loss of taste or smell; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; other symptoms such as rapid breathing, shortness of breath, respiratory failure, etc.

According to statistics from doctors at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, fever is a common symptom in 70-80% of cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients present with hot fever mainly, which may be accompanied by chills or chills, the temperature usually ranges from 37.5 to 39 degrees Celsius. Only a few cases show a high fever above 39.5 degrees Celsius. Fever usually lasts from 2-7 days. Accompanied by fever is fatigue, muscle and joint pain.

In children with Covid-19, the symptoms of fever are similar to those of adults. On forums, some parents who take care of F0 children at home expressed concern about the problem that their child’s fever did not improve despite giving their child fever-reducing medicine and asked the question, at what level of fever should be concerned? health agency/to hospital?

Talking to VietNamNet about the above issue, doctor Ha Dinh Bong, a member of the Group of Doctors guiding the treatment of F0 at home, said that parents should contact medical staff if their child’s condition belongs to one of the three schools. fit below.

First, The child has a fever continuously for more than 48 hours, despite using all fever-reducing measures such as using medicine, warm compresses, expanding clothes, … but the fever can’t be reduced.

Second, children with high fever above 39.5 degrees Celsius, not responding or responding very poorly to antipyretic drugs. For example, a child who has taken fever-reducing medicine but only has 1 hour of lowering, then has a fever again and the fever is still high, so they should be taken to the hospital for temperature control. “Fever above 39.5 degrees Celsius is a high level, if left for a long time, it will be very easy to have complications,” said Dr. Bong.

Illustration: thomsonmedical.com

Tuesday, Your child has a fever with one of the following signs of serious change:

For children under 5 years old:

– Children who are fussy, refuse to play, do not listen to talk, or lethargic or have convulsions.

– Children breathing faster than their age: babies under 2 months when they breathe 60 times/minute or more, babies from 2 to under 12 months old when they breathe 50 times/minute or more, babies from 12 months to under 5 years old when they breathe faster than their age. breathing 40 times/minute or more.

– Children breathing abnormally: shortness of breath, breathing in and out of the nostrils, contraction of the sternum, intercostal muscles.

– Signs of dehydration: tight lips, sunken eyes, thirst, little urine.

– Cyanosis

– SpO2 below 96% (if SpO2 meter is available)

– Vomiting everything

– The child cannot breastfeed or cannot eat or drink.

– Children with other diseases such as dengue fever, hand, foot and mouth disease.

– Any other unsettled child’s condition that warrants an emergency.

For children 5 years and older:

– Feeling short of breath

– Cough doesn’t stop

– Can’t eat/drink

– Vomiting everything

– Chest pain

– Diarrhea

– Children are tired, refuse to play

– SpO2 below 96% (if SpO2 meter is available)

– Rapid breathing: the breathing rate of children from 5 to under 12 years old is 30 times/minute or more, from 12 years old is 20 times/minute or more.

– Abnormal breathing: contraction of the sternum, intercostal space

– Any other unsettled child’s condition that warrants an emergency.

According to Dr. Bong, when the child has a mild fever, from 37.5 degrees Celsius to 38.5 degrees Celsius (or 38 degrees Celsius if the child has had a seizure), parents should take four steps, including placing the child in a well-ventilated room; expand clothes, open diapers (even if the child feels cold, absolutely do not cover many blankets, do not wear many clothes, do not turn on the heater).

Warm the baby: Use a clean towel dipped in warm water from 32-35 degrees Celsius, squeeze out excess water and wipe the baby’s body; focus on wiping the neck, armpits, groin, etc. Absolutely do not wipe the body with lemon juice, alcohol, alcohol. Do not immerse the child’s hands, feet or whole body directly into the basin of water.

Prevention of water-electrolyte disorders for babies: Children under 6 months need to increase the number of times of breast-feeding (or expressing milk, after every 15 minutes, children can eat a few spoons); Older children can drink Oresol solution, take it a little bit and drink it many times.

In case the child has a high fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius (or over 38 degrees if ever having a seizure), it is necessary to use fever-reducing medicine immediately, combining 4 steps as above. According to the Ministry of Health, parents can give their baby paracetamol at a dose of 10-15 mg/kg/time (oral or rectal), at least 4-6 hours if needed. Note, the total dose should not exceed 60mg/kg/day.

Or use dose according to age if the child’s weight is not known, specifically as follows: children under 1 year old take paracetamol 80mg, the oral dose is 1 pack x 4 times/day; Children from 1 to under 2 years old take paracetamol 150mg, dose 1 pack x 4 times/day; Children from 2 to under 5 years old take paracetamol 250mg, oral dose of 1 pack x 4 times/day; children from 5 to 12 years old take paracetamol 325mg, oral dose of 1 tablet x 4 times/day; Children over 12 years old take paracetamol 500mg, the dose is 1 tablet x 4 times/day.

Note, guidance on dosage of paracetamol for children according to age is only used when the child’s weight is unknown, the optimal dose is still calculated by weight.

Nguyen Lien