Spike in fever cases among kids: Paediatricians stress on extra care

Stating that children are worst affected in this cold weather, a government hospital doctor said that the parents should always watch out for the symptoms to treat fever early. “Children under the age of five are susceptible to viral fever and need to be monitored. Body pain is an important symptom,” she said.

Infants with fever are usually irritable and may not sleep or eat well, Dr Gayatri Nair, a paediatrician, said. “Older children tend to lose interest in playing. They become more irritable and disinterested as the fever gets higher. It is essential that parents keep a watch for all these symptoms and approach a doctor if necessary.”

With weather changing drastically in the nights, the parents are worried about the diseases. “My son’s classmates are already taking leave due to fever and I am worried that he too will be affected. We have however already taken precautionary measures after speaking to our paediatrician,” said Anita P, a mother of a four-year-old. While viral fever cannot be prevented entirely, doctors recommend following some hygiene and lifestyle habits to prevent the infection. “Children do not follow hygiene practices like frequent handwashing and therefore, parents must take the extra effort to ensure their child is sanitised when there are other fever cases around,” she added.

Hospitals like the Institute of Child Health too have been seeing fever cases. “We have been receiving a few fever cases in the recent past. However, they are not too many to cause panic,” said a doctor at the hospital.