How to tell if your baby has viral pneumonia

To find out if the baby has viral pneumonia, parents should be aware of whether the flu is slow to pass or worsens over the course of 1 week, taking the baby to the pediatrician if this happens.

In addition, it is important to go to the pediatrician when the fever does not go away after 2 days, especially when the baby is taking medicines to lower the temperature, such as Paracetamol, because even if the pediatrician has diagnosed a flu, it can progress to pneumonia.

Generally, symptoms of viral pneumonia in babies begin with a constant cough, a fever that does not go down, a lack of appetite and general malaise, progressing to respiratory problems such as increased phlegm, rapid and shallow breathing or difficulty breathing.

Tests to confirm viral pneumonia in the baby

To be sure that the baby has viral pneumonia, parents should consult the pediatrician so that he or she can auscultate the baby's lungs, assessing whether the baby is breathing normally or has a lung infection.

Thus, if the doctor suspects viral pneumonia, he may order other tests, such as chest X-rays or blood tests, to confirm the existence of an infection and which organism is causing it, helping to adjust the treatment.

How to care for a baby with viral pneumonia

To care for the baby with viral pneumonia at home, parents should avoid taking the baby for a walk on the street or in public places, keeping him or her at home for about 2 weeks.

In addition, during treatment it is recommended:

Make saline inhalations 2 to 3 times a day or according to the pediatrician's indications; Encourage the baby to breastfeed or eat, giving preference to fruits, breast milk or formula; Give the baby water; Dress the baby according to the temperature, avoiding sudden temperature changes; do not give the baby more than 1 bath a day, avoiding drafts; avoid using cough medicine, as they can facilitate the accumulation of secretions in the lung.

In the most severe cases, in which the baby does not want to eat or has a fever above 39ºC, the pediatrician may recommend hospitalization to receive oxygen, make medicine in the vein and receive serum.