A guide for parents who need to care for their children at home. No to antibiotics, instead, proper hydration must be ensured. The usefulness of specific vitamin preparations is not proven
Hundreds of thousands of Covid cases have involved children and adolescents in recent weeks also due to the spread of the Omicron variant. For this reason the technical table of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinations of the Italian Society of Pediatrics has summarized a handbook addressed to families for the correct home management of a child or teenager with Covid.
Ten practical rules to help parents keep unnecessary anxieties away, but also to avoid the risks of doing it yourself and the improper administration of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, always remembering for any doubts to refer to your pediatrician or trusted doctor.
No to antibiotics, sa ibuprofen or paracetamol in case of symptoms. Proper hydration must be ensured. Further tests or medications will be evaluated in cases of more severe symptoms
1- In cases asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection no therapy indicated and in the majority of cases in pediatric and adolescent age, only the recommended symptomatic therapy with paracetamol or, if the child is not dehydrated, with ibuprofen.
2. In case of respiratory symptoms which require inhalation therapy with bronchodilators and / or cortisone, preferably the spacer to the appliance for aerosol therapy to reduce the spread of viral particles in the air.
3. In case of diarrhea or vomiting, one must be ensured proper hydration with oral rehydrating solutions. The utility of administering specific vitamin preparations has not been demonstrated.
4. Antibiotic therapy is not indicated except in the presence of a likely bacterial complication. In particular, the therapeutic use of azithromycin is not indicated.
5. Avoid taking pediatric patients with mild symptoms suggestive of Covid or without symptoms to the emergency room simply because of having had positive contacts. Instead, in the presence of difficulty in breathing, persistent chest pain, cyanosis, altered state of consciousness and oliguria (decreased excretion of urine) do not delay access to the emergency room.
6. The recommended hospitalization in case of moderate to severe illness, in the febrile infant less than 3 months of age and in case of difficulty in managing the child by the family.
7. The execution of radiological examinations (X-ray, ultrasound or CT) should only be considered in children and adolescents with moderate to severe symptoms.
8. Only in hospitalized children with moderate-to-severe clinical conditions, pneumonia and progression to deterioration of respiratory function, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), or clinical conditions within the diagnosis of MIS-C, supportive care should be considered. ” addition of immunomodulatory therapy (with corticosteroids and immunoglobulins), biological drugs and antithrombotic prophylaxis with heparin.
9. Quarantine and tracking of close contacts with their surveillance are essential to break the chain of transmission of the virus.
10.Vaccination against Covid recommended in all children and adolescents from 5 years of age. In adolescents from 12 years of age, in addition to the primary two-dose vaccination course, a booster dose 4 months after the 2nd dose is recommended.
February 1, 2022 (change February 1, 2022 | 17:35)
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