Surge in flu-like cases among children - paediatrician

A specialist in paediatric emergency medicine at Children's Health Ireland has said there has been a surge in children presenting with flu-like illnesses.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme, Dr Paddy Fitzpatrick said children are currently presenting with the classic symptoms of fevers, coughs and chills.

"Whereas we wouldn't test every child for the influenza virus, they are certainly presenting with all of the classical symptoms of fevers, coughs, chills, aches and pains, sore throat, just feeling very, very miserable."

Dr Fitzpatrick said parents can get care advice from undertheweather.ie and the HSE website, however he said if something is not quite right, then a parent should follow their instinct and seek further help.

Dr Fitzpatrick said the majority of children can be safely cared for at home.

"The advice is to expect children to be quite miserable, to have less energy, to have some tummy pains, to have some fevers."

In rare cases flu cases can be complicated by a bacterial illness that jumps on top of the flu virus, Dr Fitzpatrick said, but these are rare.

"If there's something not quite right - and often parents instinct is the right thing to follow ... if a child isn't seeming to get better quick enough, or isn't really getting episodes of energy or recovery during the course of the illness... If they're not drinking enough fluids ... or if they have any breathing difficulties, or if they have a rash that doesn't disappear when it's pressed on with some pressure ... they're the things to get checked out straight away."

He said the flu vaccine is easily administered to children and is free of charge from GPs and pharmacists.

It has proven very effective in preventing flu, Dr Fitzpatrick added.