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Cough, runny nose, a slight fever. It is inevitable that each year children meet frequently colds if not the flu. These little ailments are normal, nothing to worry about. But this year will be different and parents around the world will wonder: “Does my child have Covid, the flu or is it a simple cold?”
How to know if it is flu, cold or covid?
It is probably not possible to reliably distinguish Covid from influenza because the symptoms are actually very similar and the only sure way to make a differential diagnosis is andfollow the hyssop. The most common symptoms of Covid-19 in children are cough, fever, or both with colds and gastrointestinal symptoms (present in 30% of children). There are many other possible ways that the virus presents in positive children: loss of taste and smell, abdominal pain, headache, sore throat, shortness of breath. Unfortunately, some of these symptoms are the same that characterize other diseases that circulate during the winter season. A chart from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates how often these symptoms overlap. To limit the risk of misdiagnosis as much as possible, pediatricians suggest vaccinating your children against the flu: in case of symptoms, if a child has received the vaccine, it is more likely Covid-19.
(CENTERS FOR THE CONTROL AND PREVENTION OF DISEASES)
How to orient yourself: the single symptom should not alarm you
However, we can try to make distinctions to help parents orient themselves with a series of common sense tips. “If the child has a cold accompanied by a stuffy or runny nose and some coughs sno other symptoms as gastrointestinal disorders and true conjunctivitis (not the one with catarrhal discharge, which is part of the cold) we can conclude with sufficient certainty that we are facing a classic seasonal cooling ” explains Gianvincenzo Zuccotti, director of the Department of Pediatrics at Buzzi Hospital in Milan. The situation is different in that the child manifests more than one symptom. “If a fever over 37.5 and perhaps even gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea are added to the cold, then it is correct to suspect Covid-19,” adds Professor Zuccotti. “In general, if the symptoms are presented individually: only cold, only fever, only vomiting and diarrhea, it is likely that we are dealing with seasonal ailments, the classic colds and viral gastroenteritis that accompany winter and not Covid-19 “
Loss of taste and smell
The most characteristic symptom of Covid is loss of taste and smell. From the source of this signal, we can be pretty sure that it is coronavirus. Usually the the loss of smell is sudden and severe and is not accompanied by nasal congestion o runny nose: most people affected by the coronavirus can still breathe freely. Loss of taste is also another characteristic sign of Covid and also in this case between the “normal” loss of taste due to nasal congestion and the coronavirus symptom there are differences: coronavirus patients with loss of taste are not really able to distinguish between bitter or sweet. “However, these are subjective symptoms – warns Zuccott – and it is difficult for children under six years to tell them.”
Dry cough
Unlike influences cough, in the case of Sars-CoV-2 it is dry, angry and insistent, more typical of asthma but not so uncommon during the winter season. «During the winter, in addition to the flu, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) also circulates, capable of infecting the respiratory system causing asthmatic bronchitis and bronchiolitis with irritating cough as a symptom and, therefore, a differential diagnosis will be necessary. Many times, however, these forms do not cause fever, “adds the pediatrician.
Knowing your children
Parents know their children best and are the first to know if something is wrong. For example, if your child has a runny nose and is allergic to ragweed, that symptom is likely related to a seasonal allergy. Also, allergic forms are rarely accompanied by fever. The same is true for those with asthma and shortness of breath. However, if the symptoms are out of the ordinary, it is good to speak with the pediatrician.
When should the child be left at home and not go to school?
Children, especially those under the age of six, often spend the entire winter permanently cold. Will they always have to stay home and not go to school? “When it comes to an isolated cold with a few bumps coughing, perhaps more frequent during position changes (going to bed or getting up than the rest of the day) frequency is not contraindicated. I would limit myself to leaving the child alone at home outside of school with a fever above 37.5, cough and possibly diarrheal symptoms, as is already the case, ”concludes Zuccotti.
The importance of sentinel centers for understanding the virus
The director of Buzzi’s pediatric department proposes the creation of sentinel centers to monitor the virus. “It’s one thing to randomly swab children with colds and always find negative swabs. At that time we will not be concerned with all the viral forms that are circulating. But when the surveillance system began to isolate the coronavirus in children with a single cold or with only intestinal disorder, then an alert should be sent because all the diagnostic parameters would have to be reconsidered. “
September 2, 2020 (change September 2, 2020 | 07:51)
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