What are the causes of influenza in children? Six points to note in the diet of children with influenza

Childhood influenza is a common acute respiratory infectious disease caused by influenza virus. It mainly occurs in infants. It has a strong ability to spread, is usually locally prevalent, and is prone to complications of lung infection. So what is the cause of childhood influenza?

What are the causes of influenza in children:

First, viruses cause

Between 80% and 90% of children who get the flu have a viral cause; between 10% and 20% have a bacterial cause.

Second, children’s immune systems are immature

Infants under one year old are prone to inflammation and children's influenza because their immune systems are not yet mature, their nasal cavities are narrow, their mucous membranes are soft, their mucous glands secrete insufficiently and are dry, and they are poorly adapted to and able to resist the external environment. Premature infants, those with congenital defects or diseases, and those with heart and lung dysfunction are also prone to illness.

The third is an unbalanced diet

Some parents ignore the nutritional balance of their baby's diet, causing their babies to lack various important nutrients such as iron, calcium, vitamins or protein intake during their rapid growth and development. This can easily lead to the baby's body losing its normal functions, having low resistance, and being susceptible to viral and bacterial infections, leading to colds.

Fourth, environmental factors

A bright and dry home environment with a suitable temperature and circulating air plays a vital role in maintaining the health of infants. Parents must pay attention to avoid their babies in serious adverse living environments. Air turbidity is harmful to the respiratory tract and is an important cause of influenza in children.

Lack of exercise

It is very important to strengthen the baby's proper physical exercise, especially in winter or summer, parents should ensure that the baby has a certain amount of outdoor exercise time every day to improve the baby's environmental adaptability and increase the body's natural resistance to prevent the occurrence of colds.

When a child has the flu, parents must know his symptoms:

Sore throat

Young children have limited language skills and cannot express physical discomfort, so they often cry or refuse to eat. If parents notice that their baby is crying, refusing, has increased saliva, or has a swollen neck, they should suspect that their child has a sore throat!

If a child has symptoms of sore throat during the flu, he should be allowed to drink more water, but not given too hot or too cold food to avoid burns or cramps. Parents should let their children eat some easily digestible food, such as tofu pudding; do not give children too dry food to avoid increasing the difficulty and pain of swallowing.

Fever + cough

When a baby has the flu, he will have a fever due to the viral infection, and it is easy to have a fever of more than 40 degrees. When a child has a fever due to the flu, do not let the child wear too many clothes, and should wear loose and comfortable clothes. If the child gradually starts to sweat, parents should help him put on dry clothes, and do not let the child continue to wear wet or non-breathable clothes.

The water temperature is about 28 degrees from 29 degrees to 3l, and ventilation is maintained to help convection and relieve children's discomfort. In addition, children often cough after fever, and long-term coughing can easily cause complications such as sinusitis and gastric acid reflux, which parents should not ignore.

Pay attention to your diet:

1. Ensure water supply

You can drink more acidic juices such as hawthorn juice, kiwi juice, red date juice, fresh orange juice, watermelon juice, etc. to replenish water, promote gastric juice secretion, increase appetite, and prevent complications of high fever such as oral ulcers and constipation.

Food should be easy to digest

Choose easily digestible liquid diets, such as vegetable soup, porridge, egg soup, egg soup, milk, etc.

3. Provide a high-protein, high-fat, high-calorie diet to increase resistance and promote physical recovery.

4. Eat small meals frequently.

After the fever subsides and the appetite improves, you can change to a semi-liquid diet, such as noodle soup, clear chicken soup noodles, small wontons, vegetable puree porridge, meat floss porridge, liver puree porridge, egg drop porridge, etc.

5. Eat light and less greasy food

White rice porridge, millet porridge, and red bean porridge are available, with side dishes such as sweet pickles, kohlrabi, pickled mustard tubers, or fermented tofu, which are light and refreshing.

6. Ensure vitamin intake

Eat more red foods such as vitamin C and E tomatoes, apples, grapes, dates, strawberries, beets, oranges, watermelons, milk, eggs, etc. to prevent colds.

You should now have a clear understanding of what children with influenza should eat more of, so parents must let their children drink plenty of water, ensure adequate nutritional intake, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, eat a light diet, avoid spicy foods, and go to the hospital for scientific treatment in time when necessary.