Flu in children treatment

Self-care at home

Flu symptoms may last more than a week. You can relieve and soothe children's aches and pains with some basic home care.

• Rest in bed
• Allow the child to drink lots of fluids of the child's choice.
• Treat fever with products like children’s paracetamol or children’s ibuprofen taken according to the instructions on the package or as directed by the child's GP (do not give aspirin to children under 16 because it poses a risk of causing Reye's syndrome).
• Use a humidifier in the child's room to make dry air easier to breathe.
• Children may need more careful attention for these symptoms.    

Runny nose: Younger infants usually breathe through their nose and cannot breathe through the mouth. Even older children have difficulty breathing through the mouth and sucking on something at the same time. Therefore, it is very important that the child's nose should be clean before feeding and before putting the child to sleep

Suctioning is one method to clean the nose. For younger infants, use a rubber suction bulb to remove the secretions gently. Older children can blow their noses, but forceful blowing can push the secretions into the ear tubes or sinuses. Encourage the use of tissues and gentle nose blowing.

Dry or stuffy nose: It is important to remember that most stuffy noses are blocked by dry mucus. Blowing or sniffling alone cannot remove dry mucus. Use of saline nose drops is helpful in loosening the mucus. These nose drops are available at most pharmacies. One minute after using the nose drops, use a soft rubber suction bulb to gently suck out the loosened mucus.

Medical treatment

Treating symptoms is the cornerstone of managing the flu in children. Home care methods most recommended include rest, drinking adequate amounts of fluids, control of fever and body aches with medication, and maintaining comfortable breathing by means of humidified air in the child's sleeping area.

Doctors may prescribe antiviral medicines for people at risk of complications from flu and if stronger strains of flu known as Type A or Type B are circulating in the community.

Antiviral drugs don’t cure the flu, but they can reduce the length of time people have the symptoms and reduce the severity of them. Zanamivir and oseltamivir treat flu viruses A and B by stopping the virus from multiplying in your body.

Zanamivir is a powder that is taken by breathing it in through a special inhaler within 48 hours of the flu symptoms starting. It is not recommended for children under five.  

Oseltamivir is prescribed as a tablet or liquid to be taken within 48 hours of the first symptoms, but is not recommended for children under one.