PETALING JAYA: With the rising number of Covid-19 cases among children, health experts have advised parents to monitor their children’s symptoms, especially if they show signs of high fever, shortness of breath, poor appetite and dehydration.
These symptoms are indicators that their children should be sent to the hospital for further monitoring.
Universiti Malaya Medical Centre consultant paediatrician and paediatric intensivist Assoc Prof Dr Gan Chin Seng said monitoring the temperature of a child was crucial.
“If they have a fever of less than 38°C, get them fever medication like paracetamol, but if their fever is higher than that, then they need to be brought to the hospital.
“For Omicron, we have noticed different symptoms affecting children compared to the Delta variant. We have seen Omicron causing very high fever that leads to seizure.
“We are seeing fevers of more than 39°C whereby some even hit 40°C and 41°C.
“Kids younger than seven years old are at risk of getting a seizure if the fever is too high. We have children who have been warded because they have had seizures,” he said when contacted yesterday.
He said parents should also monitor the breathing of their children.
“If they are breathing fast, this means their condition can progress to Categories Three or Four.
“Watch their oral intake – whether they are eating or drinking enough or if they are vomiting. Those are the signs where they are likely going to require help. They will need drips (in the hospital) to keep them hydrated,” he said.
He also urged parents to get their children vaccinated as they are seeing more unvaccinated patients, aged below 11, being admitted.
In addition, medical practitioners were also seeing more patients with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) too.
On Twitter, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin noted that the hospital rate admission for children had begun to rise and advised parents to vaccinate their children without delay.
In a graph, he pointed out that the hospitalisation rates for children under 11 between Categories Two and Five had climbed since Jan 31, with bed utilisation at more than 200 beds as of Feb 17.
Consultant paediatrician Datuk Dr Amar Singh HSS said parents of children with disabilities, who have chronic medical problems or are immunocompromised, should consult their paediatricians if their children contract the virus.
“Any child who has any ‘red flag’ symptoms, should be referred to a hospital for further assessment. The red flag symptoms include fits, lethargy, poor feeding, chest or abdominal pain, cold or clammy peripheries, signs of dehydration, change in mental status or a prolonged illness.
“Having a reliable pulse oximeter to monitor the child’s oxygen levels is also very useful. Oxygen saturation of below 95% is a cause for concern,” he said.