Question

How should a child with an upper respiratory infection be treated? Symptoms include runny nose, cough, and phlegm in the throat. The illness onset was on October 28, 2009, with signs of upper laryngitis. Previous medication treatment was ineffective. I am inquiring about the suitability of Chinese or Western medicine, as well as how to treat the aforementioned symptoms.

Answer

  1. After falling ill, ensure adequate rest, maintain good indoor air circulation and humidity. Drink plenty of water and consume light and nutritious food.
  2. Symptomatic treatment: For high fever, take antipyretic medication; for nasal congestion, use 0.5% neomycin-ephedrine nasal drops; for sore throat, take lozenges.
  3. Antiviral drugs such as ribavirin (virazole) can be taken orally, administered via nasal drops, or injected intravenously. For severe patients or those with suspected bacterial infections and complications, antibiotics can be used appropriately. Commonly used drugs include combinated sulfamethoxazole (combinated sulfamethoxazole), penicillin, macrolides (erythromycin or roxithromycin), and first-generation cephalosporins.