As a parent, when do I know if my child has contracted the flu, COVID-19, the common cold or RSV? What are the signs and symptoms?
RSV shares many of the same symptoms as the common cold and the flu: sniffles, a cough and a low-grade fever are common. Because of this, make sure to watch for these additional symptoms:Nasal congestion.Young infants and young children may show different signs of RSV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that young infants can get fatigued, show little interest in activity, become more irritable and may show signs of difficulty breathing.
If your child has a mild case, it is important to remain hydrated, clear any nasal congestion and continue monitoring for more severe symptoms.When children get sick, Snyder said that most of the time, the culprit is the common cold. “Most likely, common colds caused by non-COVID-19 viruses are still the most common thing that we see,” he said. During this time of the year, experts say that it is not unusual for kids to contract a cold from school, large crowds or simply from being run down. “Colds are one of the more frequent things that we see children for in both primary care offices and urgent care emergency departments,” said Snyder.
There is no cure or specific way to treat the common cold in children. Experts say colds are “extremely common the first few years of life,” and that “the average child can have six to eight colds over the course of a year.”