A Wilson girl is one of a handful of young people who will die from the flu in North Carolina this summer. As of December 14, 14 flu deaths have been reported in the state; 10 of these are in people over 65.
Dr. Lori Langdon, a pediatrician and chair of pediatrics at Campbell University, said Jasmine’s family was right to seek hospital care, and she has advice for other parents when making that call.
“It’s not the height of the fever or the number that scares us. It’s how they handle the fever that scares us,” she said.
When a child is sick, it is important to watch for signs of dehydration.
“Really push fluids,” Langdon said. “If you don’t eat solid foods, I don’t want you to worry, I want you to push for liquids.”
A child who cannot drink or urinate should be taken to the emergency room, where he can be treated for fluid retention.
Langdon, who gives advice on YouTube, noted that other respiratory ailments are also circulating this winter.
“The main reason we need intensive care is if there’s breathing problems,” she says.
“We’re getting hit with RSV right now.”
Any time a child is struggling to breathe, a visit to the hospital or urgent care is warranted.
“If their abdominal muscles are working in and out to help them breathe, shoulders are shrugging, head shaking — these are all bad signs of breathing problems and should be seen, even if it’s the middle of the night on the weekend,” Langdon says.
The Mayo Clinic suggests that symptoms that should be evaluated by a doctor include:
- Newborns up to 12 weeks with a fever of 100.4 degrees.
- A child of any age has a fever or fever lasting more than two days
- Difficulty breathing or breathing
- Ear pain
- Abnormal depression or drowsiness
- There is no desire to eat
Doctors and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend an annual flu shot for people 6 months and older.
It offers two important benefits:
- It reduces the risk of serious illness for those who catch the flu. According to studies cited by the CDC, vaccinated patients were 26% less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit and 31% less likely to die from the flu compared to unvaccinated people.
- The more people vaccinated, the less likely the flu will spread.