How to help your kids through the flu

Hello Dr Dulcy,

My child has the flu, the doctor has given her meds, what can I do to make it easier for her to manage it at home?

Good day,

I am glad the child got the flu meds and is well on the road to recovery because, as you know, the flu can be quite bad – especially in the little ones with fever, headaches, body pains, and just overall feeling sick. The virus is highly contagious so please keep the child at home so they do not infect others. Make sure they cover their nose and mouth when they cough or sneeze. Keep their hands clean.

The child needs to stay hydrated. You can give them some water with a bit of lemon, and you can also add honey or give them freshly squeezed orange juice to get that Vitamin C. Warm vegetable soup also works wonders.

If the child is feverish, keep them comfortable while giving the medication time to work.

Dress them lightly, do not cover them with too many blankets as this will make the burning up worse, and keep hydrating.

Signs of danger and a need to take them back to the doctor will be shortness of breath, vomiting, the fever not dropping, neck stiffness or a rash.

Have a health-related question? As parents, sometimes we need a simple answer to a simple question. Dr Dulcy, who holds an MBBCH degree from Wits University, a diploma in occupational health, a diploma in HIV management, travel medicine diploma, masters of science in sports medicine, and a masters in business administration degree from GIBS, is here to help!

Dr Dulcy will join the Citizen’s Parenty team every second Tuesday and you can ask health-related questions about your kids and about yourself. To get your questions answered, email editors@parenty.co.za, or leave a comment on our Facebook page.*

Dr Dulcy is a social entrepreneur with a passion for providing healthcare and wellness solutions for low and middle-income communities in South Africa. As the 2016 Social Entrepreneurship Regional Business Achiever award winner for Business Women’s Association, she started Accessible Quality Healthservices (AQH) in 2013 after being a general practitioner in Vryburg then Carletonville for 11 years.

In 2015, she partnered with Pascal Frohlicher and we founded U-Care Medical Centres, which focused on building private medical centres and providing world-class health services at an affordable cost. This company evolved in 2019 to become Quadcare, which is a network of medical centres in areas where they are needed the most providing access to affordable healthcare. Currently, the centres are in Edenvale, Fox Street Johannesburg, Meadowlands, Carletonville, University of Johannesburg, and Park Station.

Dr Dulcy said her life’s purpose was to make an impact on how healthcare was delivered in this country, especially to the poor.

*Always consult your paediatrician, gynaecologist or health-care provider for all health matters relating to you and your children.

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