Question
How to treat a boy with fever, vomiting, and diarrhea in winter?
Answer
Children experiencing fever, vomiting, and diarrhea in winter may be suffering from gastroenteritis caused by viral (such as rotavirus) or bacterial infections. To determine the cause, it is suggested that parents bring their child’s stool sample to the hospital for testing to understand if it is a rotavirus infection. For this condition, the following treatment plan can be adopted:
- Antiviral treatment: Oral or intravenous ribavirin can be used, typically for three days.
- Antibacterial treatment: Oral gentamicin injections can be administered, or intravenous injections with cefuroxime and other antibiotics may be given in severe cases.
- Symptomatic treatment: If the child does not show significant dehydration symptoms, oral pediatric rehydration salts can be used to replenish fluids; if dehydration is severe, intravenous fluid therapy is required, and attapulgite powder can be used to adsorb viruses, bacteria, and their metabolic products to alleviate diarrhea symptoms. It should be noted that if the child currently does not have diarrhea, the above treatment plan can be temporarily omitted. However, parents should closely monitor their child’s condition, especially changes in body temperature.