The pandemic has made countless exposed to a fatal virus, and today, when we’re inching towards the next wave, it appears that kids will be those in danger.
During the next wave of the outbreak in India, when kids and adults have influenced, but many kids won’t develop average respiratory ailments as observed in adults.
Paediatric COVID-19 infections are generally mild, self-limiting, and seldom need hospitalisation.
The seriousness of disease in babies and children using COVID-19 is much less than that called in adults.
Paediatric patients using COVID-19 occasionally might not include common clinical features of this disease, which can be respiratory participation.
Gastro-intestinal symptoms are reported in children who have COVID-19 either with or without respiratory disorders.
Even the most common GI symptoms found are lack of appetite, nausea, diarrhoea, fever, and cold, and dry cough, and tiredness, body fatigue, among other influenza symptoms, though a couple of kids may develop breathing problems.
Dysentery (Illness in intestines caused because of diarrhoea) may at times be the sole presentation of the disorder, and also long-term isolation ought to be considered for kids or proper disinfectant measures ought to be removed, because the shedding of stool may endure for longer period in kids.
GI symptoms together with itching, rash and conjunctivitis can also be found in multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), also a symptom of COVID-19 with systemic hyper-inflammation along with multi-organ failure.
These signs can imitate viral/bacterial gastroenteritis or perhaps inflammatory bowel disorder.
If parents notice these symptoms in kids.
It may be indicative of COVID-19 plus they need to consult with a professional immediately.
Diarrhoea
Nausea or vomiting
Stomach-ache
Tiredness
Headache
Body or muscle aches
Poor appetite or bad feeding, particularly in babies under 1 Year-old
The way to take care of patients if they’re COVID-19 favorable?
Children with moderate symptoms may be treated with residence isolation and encouraging care appropriate rest, wholesome diet, drinking lots of water and tracking your child’s body temperature in each six-hour periods.
If the temperature is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 C), temperature may be controlled from the ingestion of paracetamol.
Children with diarrhoea and nausea might be given ORS solution, tender coconut water, butter, milk or other fluids often to avoid dehydration.
Breastfeeding should continue.
90-95 percent of kids can be handled at home this manner.
Children with mild symptoms should seek out the help of a health practitioner rather through teleconsultation to ascertain additional treatment steps such as inpatient hospital entrance for additional therapy.
But children with acute symptoms must be admitted to this clinic and handled promptly.
Precautionary steps
Parents of breastfeeding infants need to attempt and confine themselves inside to avoid exposure to the disease.
WHO recommends that mothers who have suspected or verified COVID-19 should commence or continue breastfeeding.
But, mothers must take appropriate safety and health precautions such as wearing a mask and washing hands with water and soap or use of alcohol-based hand wash prior to holding coming in touch with the infant.
The Takeaway
Diarrhoea and abdominal pain along with other gut hiccups — such as gassiness — are most common in babies.
Though infant diarrhoea could be a nuisance for you and your loved ones, it normally goes away by itself.
Many causes of infant diarrhoea do not require therapy but in regards to abdominal pain, so it’s recommended to reveal it to your physician immediately so the infant is given drugs and timely therapy.
Telephone your paediatrician in case your infant has severe diarrhoea or Abdominal pain which does not get much better after 24 hours.
This Guide is written by Dr.
Sufla Saxena, Advisor – Paediatric Gastroenterologist And Hepatologist, Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, New Delhi
