Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: As India battles swine flu or swine influenza, parents of young children should take extra precautionary steps to keep their little ones safe and healthy because children are at high risk of H1N1 virus. It is important to be aware of the major symptoms of swine flu in children.
Majority of infected individuals will have a mild type of illness which could be as follows:
Sub clinical infection: Almost 30% cases get infected but never develop any kind of disease. Such cases are labelled as sub clinical infection.
Common cold (Rhino-pharyngitis): Majority of the patients develop a rhino-pharyngitis, a disease no different than an ordinary cold caused by another virus. Such cases recover with simple fever and cough medications.
Tracheo-laryngo-bronchitis: These patients have fever, hoarseness of voice and significant cough. Some of these patients may have loud croupy sound with normal breathing, such cases may need hospitalisation.
H1N1 Pneumonia: This is the most serious stage of H1N1 infection which can lead to death. It’s extremely vital to deal with it clinically at the earliest, as timely treatment can save life. Fortunately this is rare and only 3-5 cases out of 100 H1N1 cases develop to this level.
