How to Handle the Most Common Childhood Viruses

By Christina Elston

Kids get sick. It’s a fact of life, but that doesn’t make it any easier on us parents. Our battle to make it better begins with the first cough, sniffle or sneeze. And the enemy? A nasty little thing called a virus, the cause of most childhood illnesses.

What Viruses Do

Viruses are not bacteria, the other type of “germ” that makes us sick. Bacteria are complete organisms that can exist on their own and are big enough to be seen through a microscope. Viruses are much smaller and need a host cell (like one of yours) to live.

Viruses and bacteria are both transmitted through contact with infected secretions from the body or contaminated hands or objects – but the two are treated quite differently.

“Antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections but not against viral infections,” explains Danielle Zerr, M.D., a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital in Seattle. “There are a few antiviral medications available (for example, anti-influenza medications), but nothing available for the common cold.”

Still, knowledge is power. Here’s a guide to the most common virus-caused illnesses in childhood, and the kinds of treatment you can offer to give your child relief:

Bronchitis/Bronchiolitis

• Causes: respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza, influenza, adenovirus.

• Symptoms: Bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small passages in the lungs (bronchioles), and bronchitis, an inflammation of the main passages in the lungs, cause cough, shortness of breath, and fever, and most often occur during fall and winter.

• Duration: One week.

• Possible Complications: “Bronchiolitis in young children is a relatively frequent cause of hospitalization,” says Donald Goldmann, M.D., senior associate in medicine at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

“It’s not necessarily just a nuisance. It can be severe.” Complications include secondary infections, such as pneumonia, and even respiratory failure.