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Does your child have a cold, flu or COVID?

October 21, 2021

Your child has a sore throat, cough, and a high fever. Is it COVID? Could it be the flu? Or just a cold? With fall season underway and many germs in circulation, it is understanding why there can be some confusion.

All these illnesses are caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract. All are contagious and can spread easily from person to person. And they cause some similar symptoms. So it can be hard to tell them apart.

Below is some helpful information:

The Common Cold

Cold symptoms usually are mild. They often include a tickly throat, a runny or stuffy nose, and sneezing. If there’s a fever, it is not high. A child with a cold usually feels reasonably fine and has good appetite and normal energy levels.

There is no test for the common cold, and no specific treatment. It just needs to run its course.

The Flu

The flu can also be mild. Usually, though, kids with the flu feel worse than if they have a cold. They might have a fever that comes on suddenly, with chills, a headache, and body aches. They can have a sore throat, runny nose, and cough. And they feel generally miserable and tired and don’t have much of an appetite. Some kids even have belly pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

A doctor can check if someone has the flu by doing a test that looks for the flu virus.

Most kids with flu get better at home with plenty of liquids, rest, and comfort. In some cases, a doctor might prescribe an antiviral medicine to ease symptoms and shorten the illness. Some people get very ill and need treatment in the hospital.

Many cases of the flu can be prevented by getting a flu vaccine every year. Starling Pediatric offices are currently offering flu vaccines. Call your office to schedule a visit or click here

https://www.starlingphysicians.com/fluclinics/

COVID-19  

Kids infected by the coronavirus may not have any symptoms, or their symptoms can be mild, like those of a common cold. Some can have more severe flu-like symptoms. So COVID-19 symptoms can look very much like those from a cold or the flu. But one symptom that happens more commonly in COVID-19 is a loss of taste or smell.

To see if someone has coronavirus, doctors can do a test that looks for a piece of the virus in the respiratory tract. They also can check for a past infection by doing a blood test that looks for antibodies. 

There is no specific medicine for COVID-19. Most people who have it get better at home with plenty of liquids, rest, and comfort. In rare cases, children can get very ill and need treatment in the hospital.

If you believe your child could have COVID based on symptoms or exposure, call your Starling Pediatric office. We perform COVID testing in our offices, if warranted.

COVID-19 vaccines are now available for children 12 and older. Starling provides the Pfizer vaccine in our pediatric offices. Call for a vaccine appointment.

Stay tuned for upcoming information about the vaccine becoming available soon for our younger patients.

When Should I Call the Doctor?

If you have any doubts or questions, it’s best to call your Starling provider. An illness that seems like a cold can turn out to be the flu or COVID-19. And other illnesses, like strep throat or pneumonia, can cause similar symptoms but need different treatment. Sometimes it’s hard to know for sure which germ is causing the problem. Then, doctors might do some tests to find out.

Get medical care right away if your child:

Call your doctor right away if your child has asthma or another illness and starts to feel sick with symptoms that might be the flu or COVID-19. The doctor might want to do some tests or start a specific medicine for the flu.

What Can Parents Do?

Common steps that help prevent the spread of germs also work well against the common cold, the flu, and COVID-19. It’s always wise to:

Sources: kidshealth.org