Question
A two-year-old child experienced laryngitis and hoarseness while at kindergarten on June 3, 2010, due to crying. After treatment at the local health center proved ineffective, the child was taken to Xiangya Third Affiliated Hospital and Renmin Hospital for consultation, but there was still no improvement. How should the child’s throat problem be handled?
Answer
A child’s fever may be caused by pneumonia. If pneumonia is not treated thoroughly, it may lead to recurrent fever. Severe cases may require hospitalization for intravenous treatment. The treatment period for pneumonia caused by mycoplasma infection typically lasts for 10 to 15 days, and treatment should only be stopped after all indicators return to normal and the disease is completely cured. Treatment without a clear cause may only delay the condition, leading to multiple infections. It is recommended to go to the hospital for routine blood tests and chest X-rays to determine the cause of the illness and receive symptomatic treatment. Additionally, it is suggested to drink plenty of water, avoid catching colds, and consider traditional Chinese medicine treatment, such as using herbs like honeysuckle, Platycodon grandiflorus, licorice root, tangerine peel, grass root, Ophiopogon japonicus, Fructus aurantii, and Fritillaria thunbergii. These herbs should be decocted in warm water according to appropriate proportions and taken in divided doses until recovery. It is advisable to avoid spicy or hard foods.