Is it cold, flu or COVID? Know what your child is exactly suffering from

With the Omicron variant of covid-19 spreading like wildfire, it is quite normal for parents to get worried about their child’s health. Since children below fifteen years of age are the only unvaccinated lot, they are at a greater risk of getting infected with the virus and experience more severe symptoms.

It is important to get your child tested as soon as any symptoms of covid are observed but testing negative is not a milestone that has to be achieved. If symptoms continue and it is not covid, then it could be several other things, along with or without covid. Monitoring your child’s health is what you should do and try to ascertain what it is exactly that it is suffering from. Here are non-covid ailments which medical practitioners have found to be prevalent.

Children within the age group of six months to three years are prone to croup in which a hoarse voice is accompanied by a loud, barking cough. The initial symptoms of croup include fever, runny nose and a sore throat. The loud barking cough appears after two to three days and some children might also develop stridor-which is a harsh noise that is observed while breathing in. Symptoms of croup worsen at night. In the recent past, a lot of children who tested positive for Covid have shown similar symptoms. Even though croup is mild and its symptoms die down after three to four days, it is advisable to get tested for Covid if your child shows similar symptoms.

Common cold is characterized by sneezing and nasal discomfort. The nose could be runny or stuffy and at times can be accompanied by a fever, too. It is also important to note that over medicating in case of common cold doesn’t help because it runs its course anyway. Normally prescribed medicines to alleviate discomfort are mostly taken. It is important to note that common cold will not be accompanied by any additional symptoms like nausea or diarrhea.

Strep throat is another commonly diagnosed ailment in children, especially during winter season. Strep throat is characterized by a sore throat and an accompanying fever both of which are symptoms of the infection induced by the Omicron variant. Strep throat is also accompanied by red and swollen tonsils on which white patches are also visible on the roof of the mouth and at times rashes may appear on the neck. Swollen tonsils make it difficult to eat or drink anything. Consulting a doctor is important so as to ascertain the nature of strep. A viral strep infection requires no antibiotics for its treatment but a bacterial infection does.

Telling flu apart from COVID is one of the toughest things to do because of the similarity in symptoms. With children, it becomes even more difficult to tell the two apart because children are not always able to clearly explain their symptoms. However, the symptoms of flu are abrupt as compared to COVID or common cold, both of which show gradual symptoms.