$Unique_ID{PAR00178}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Viral Infections}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Viral Infections virus illness viruses acetaminophen pain fever stiff
neck back headache headaches vomit vomiting weakness collapse confusion rash
goose bumps pus-like discharge discharges eyes nose ears reddish-purple spots
tender red enlarged lymph nodes earache bloody stool stools cough breathing
difficulty Immunity Immunities organism organisms bacteria bacterium mumps
chicken pox measles rubella infectious mononucleosis cat scratch fever
hepatitis warts molluscum contagiosum roseola respiratory viruses intestinal
illnesses adenoviruses parainfluenza rhinoviruses influenza viruses
respiratory syncytial virus enteroviruses Coxsackie ECHO polioherpangina
pleurodynia Hand foot mouth disease blister blisters sores throat fever sore
throat swollen lymph nodes neck painful ulcer ulcers soft palate tonsil
tonsils sores common cold rashes encephalitis brain inflammation paralysis
diarrhea pleurisy pneumonia Reye's syndrome aspirin acetaminophen Blood test
tests throat culture cultures chest x-ray spinal tap antibody antibodies
physical examination examinations}
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Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Viral Infections


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Vary according to the virus

     HOME CARE
     - In the case of illness caused by an intestinal virus, give
       acetaminophen to relieve pain and fever.  (Refer to the appropriate
       section for treatment of diseases caused by a specific virus.)

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Call the doctor immediately if your child has any of the following
       symptoms:  stiff neck or back, severe headache and vomiting, extreme
       weakness or collapse, confusion.
     - Consult your doctor if any of the following symptoms appear:  rash
       resembling red sandpaper or red goose bumps; pus-like discharge from
       eyes, nose, or ears; reddish-purple spots; tender, red, enlarged lymph
       nodes; severe earache; blood in the stools; severe cough; breathing
       difficulty.
     - Because there are so many different types of viruses, diagnosis can be
       very difficult.
     - Immunity against any one virus is short-lived, so a child can have one
       viral infection right after another.


     A virus is an organism, smaller than a bacterium, that can live only
within a living cell.  Many common illnesses are caused by particular viruses,
among them mumps, chicken pox, measles, rubella, infectious mononucleosis, cat
scratch fever, hepatitis, warts, molluscum contagiosum, and roseola.  Two
large groups of other viruses--the respiratory viruses and the intestinal
viruses--cause a variety of similar illnesses in children.
     The respiratory viruses include the adenoviruses, parainfluenza viruses,
rhinoviruses, influenza viruses, and the respiratory syncytial virus.  The
intestinal viruses (also called enteroviruses) are divided into Coxsackie
viruses (of which 30 varieties are known so far), the so-called ECHO viruses
(of which there are more than 30 known types), and the three polio viruses.
     Coxsackie viruses are responsible for hand, foot, and mouth disease;
herpangina; and pleurodynia.  Hand, foot, and mouth disease is characterized
by the presence of blisters and sores in the area of the mouth and throat and
blisters on the hands and feet.  Herpangina lasts three to six days and
produces a fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and painful
ulcers (open sores) on the soft palate, tonsils, and throat.  Pleurodynia is
an inflammation of the muscles between the ribs, which causes intense pain,
aggravated by breathing, on one side of the chest.
     Coxsackie and ECHO viruses may cause symptoms of a common cold, a fever
with or without a rash, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), or
paralysis.  ECHO viruses may cause diarrhea.
     Infections by the Coxsackie and ECHO viruses have an incubation period
(the time it takes for symptoms to develop after exposure to the organisms) of
three to five days or more, and they can be spread via the mouth or in the
stool.  Immunity against any one of them is short-lived.  Therefore, a child
can have one viral infection right after another.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     Because of the large number of viruses and the multiplicity of symptoms,
diagnosis of the specific type of viral infection is very difficult and
usually not necessary.  Herpangina can be identified by the look and location
of the ulcers.  Pleurodynia resembles pleurisy and pneumonia, but it produces
no cough.  A rash due to a virus tends to be generalized, flat, and pink
rather than red and splotchy; however, rashes vary considerably from child to
child.

HOME CARE

     Only the symptoms caused by intestinal viruses can be treated.  Because
of the association between Reye's syndrome and use of aspirin, it is generally
recommended that acetaminophen, rather than aspirin, be given to reduce pain
and fever accompanying a viral illness.  In particular, do not give aspirin to
a child with chicken pox or influenza.

PRECAUTION

  -  Do not give aspirin to a child with chicken pox or influenza.
  -  Call the doctor immediately if your child has any of the following
     symptoms:  stiff neck or back, severe headache and vomiting, extreme
     weakness or collapse, confusion.
  -  Consult your doctor if any of the following symptoms appear:  rash
     resembling red sandpaper or red goose bumps; pus-like discharge from
     eyes, nose, or ears; reddish-purple spots; tender, red, enlarging lymph
     nodes; severe earache; blood in the stools; severe cough; breathing
     difficulty.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     A diagnosis may be difficult to reach.  It usually depends on a careful
history and physical examination, aided by knowledge of what illnesses are
currently going around in the community.  Blood studies and throat cultures
may be needed to exclude other illnesses.  A chest x-ray examination or a
spinal tap may also be necessary.  Viral cultures and antibody studies confirm
the presence of specific diseases, but the results of these tests take days or
weeks.

RELATED TOPICS:  Cat scratch fever; Chicken pox; Common cold; Diarrhea in
older children; Diarrhea in young children; Encephalitis; Fever; Glands,
swollen; Hand, foot, and mouth disease; Hepatitis; Infectious mononucleosis;
Measles; Meningitis; Molluscum contagiosum; Mumps; Polio; Rashes; Reye's
syndrome; Roseola; Rubella; Warts