My 5 year old daughter is having cold, cough and fever sicne 2 days. I gave her Calpol syrup the fever subsides and agins starts in the evening. She also have lot of chills. She has running nose, sneezing and slight cough. Is she havinf flu, what to do for the symptoms to come down?
A sudden onset high fever, not responding to paracetamol (Cal pol) accompanied by body-ache and weakness can be a sign of flu. You can do tepid sponging of her whole body with lukewarm water using a wet towel (taking care not to expose her to cold) if her fever is very high tonight. In view of the fever with chills, I would advise blood tests to rule out Malaria and Dengue Fever. A low WBC count will be more in favor of flu. A high WBC count will mean bacterial or viral infection. A low platelet count can be due to Dengue. Other common causes of fever with chills are Urinary Tract Infections, Typhoid and viral infections (flu or regular, common viral infections). You may start a broad spectrum antibiotic and an anti-allergic under the supervision of your daughters' pediatrician, before the blood tests results. A cough mixture may also be added. Supervised steam inhalation will be beneficial. Nasal decongestants will help if her nose is severely blocked. In a 5-year-old, you should also rule out Adenoid Hypertrophy and Chronic Tonsillitis if these attacks are occurring repeatedly.