What is influenza in children? How to treat influenza in children with a combination of Chinese and Western medicine

Children's influenza is caused by viruses during exogenous infection. Because children do not know how to adjust to cold and heat, their skin is tender, their bodies are thin, and their defense function is not strong, they are prone to flu. After falling ill, due to the softness of the internal organs, the disease spreads quickly, and it is easy to be accompanied by factors such as phlegm, food stagnation, and shock, making the symptoms complicated. The syndrome and treatment are still divided into wind-cold and wind-heat. However, for children, pungent and warm medicines should not be too damp and hot, and pungent and cool medicines should not be too bitter and cold. If there is phlegm, it is supplemented with lung-clearing and phlegm-resolving medicine; if there is food stagnation, it is supplemented with digestion and stagnation, and if there is shock, it is supplemented with tranquilizers or liver-calming wind-extinguishing medicines.

Influenza, or flu for short, is a common acute respiratory infectious disease caused by influenza virus. When people lack immunity to new influenza virus variants, it will lead to a global epidemic. It is characterized by sudden occurrence and rapid spread from 1918 to 1919. 20 million people died. The main clinical manifestations of influenza are the prevention and treatment of lung infections that are prone to occur in infants, young children and the elderly, such as sudden high fever, headache, body aches and fatigue, respiratory inflammation, cough and sore throat, etc.

Treatments for the flu in children

1. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment of influenza in children:

Due to different pathogenic factors, epidemic colds can be divided into wind-heat, wind-cold, heat-dampness and other types.

a. Wind-heat type:

Symptoms: Throat inflammation, including headache, nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, floating pulse, slightly yellow tongue coating. Heat dissipating Chinese medicines such as honeysuckle, forsythia, mulberry leaves, chrysanthemum, light bamboo leaves, and burdock can be used.

b. Wind-cold type:

Symptoms: The main symptoms are fear of cold, fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, headache, and itchy throat. Chinese medicines such as Nepeta, Saposhnikovia, Notopterygium, Peucedanum, mustard, and liquorice are mainly used to dispel cold.

c. Summer heat and dampness type:

Common in hot and humid summer. Symptoms: headache, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, high fever. Aromatic Chinese medicines such as vanilla, lentils, magnolia bark, forsythia, and light bamboo leaves can be used.

2. Western medicine treatment of influenza in children:

There is currently no definite and effective specific treatment, general care and prevention of complications.

a. Take isolation measures to prevent others and secondary bacterial infection

b. Rest in bed until your strength recovers.

c. Symptomatic treatment, such as high fever, irritability, headache, etc.: physical cooling can be used or antipyretics such as acetylsalicylic acid, metamizole, aminopyrine, etc. can be taken.

d. Appropriate feeding: Eat a light diet and drink plenty of water.