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Questions

Answers

FEVER

What is fever

Rise in core body temperature above 99°F is fever.

Normal body temperature between 97 - 99°F.

How to check for fever?

Use a thermometer and put it in arm pit (axilla) after wiping any sweat. Close the armpit and hold the thermometer in place.

If mercury thermometer then hold for 3 minutes.

Fever intensity – low, medium and high

Fever between 99 – 100 is low fever
Fever between 100 – 101 is medium fever
Fever more than 101 is high fever

Complications of fever

Fever causes increased metabolic rate and thus increased loss of body water (Dehydration) and energy (Weakness).

In children fever can lead to seizures/convulsions (abnormal body movement with loss of consciousness)

Common reasons for fever

Bacterial infections; Viral infections; Urinary infections, Malaria; Typhoid etc

Food intake is reduced during illness / fever. Child has weight loss. Why?

The infection itself reduces your appetite. Also body tries to rest intestines to reduce their work and concentrate in fighting the illness. Thus normal food intake is reduced.

Ideally more liquid/soft diet is better than normal diet.

Once the fever illness subsides the appetite comes back to normal and child regains lost weight.

DIARRHOEA

What is Acute Gastro – Enteritis or Stomach infection?

Infection of the Stomach/Intestines cause Diarrhea, Vomiting, Stomach pain and Fever.

All the symptoms don’t start together and are seen within a 24 to 48 hour period.

First aid for Diarrhea

Pedialyte ORS Readyuse liquid or Electral powder (to prepare as per instructions).

Home alternatives to ORS are lemon juice; Buttermilk (low fat); Fresh fruit juices; Green coconut water; Dal water; Soups; Diluted tea etc.

When will Diarrhea cure?

Diarrhea is an infection of intestines. Infection leads to loss to intestinal epithelium (skin) and thus digestion/absorption of food is decreased/stopped. Once infection is cured the skin loss is repaired but repair takes time of 3-5 days on average.

Thus diarrhea continues for few days and then as the intestinal skin heals, digestion and absorption of food starts and diarrhea stops.

During diarrhea skin over the stool area becomes red and child cries. Why?

How to prevent it?

Diarrhea liquid is acidic in nature and thus damages the tender skin in children and thus redness and burning pain.

After each diarrheal stool clean stool area with plenty of water and mop it dry with soft cotton cloth and apply diaper rash cream liberally.

COUGH/COLD

During cold the child is not able to feed properly and cries a lot. Why?

During common cold there is nasal blockage and thus child breathes from mouth and so can’t feed properly from mouth and remains hungry and cries.

Also during cold there is bodyache, headache and feverish feeling (like we adults do). Child communicate’s this problems by crying to you.

During cold we are advised to put saline nasal
drops and clean the nose. Child cries a lot while doing it. Why?

During common cold there is nasal blockade and can be removed by saline nasal drops.

Holding and putting drops in the child’s nose frightens him and thus he cries. Few minutes of crying during nose cleaning is better than continuous crying due to nose block.

During cold when should we worried about Chest cold/Pneumonia?

If there is fast breathing, Drastically reduced oral intake, Continuous very high fever, Lethargic behavior.

My child has cold again. He had cold before 15 days and took medicines, even then why would it recur.

Any illness medicine given will cure the present illness and will not be an protection for future illness episodes.

Seasonal infections/Fever are more recurrent to children in age group 0-5years because of their immature immune system and their close exposure to other (children/adults) having similar infections.