How to Treat Typhoid in Child
Typhoid is one of the most common diseases experienced by children. Symptoms of typhoid in children can come gradually over a period of several weeks or come suddenly. Therefore, it is important for every parent to recognize the symptoms of typhoid and know how to treat typhoid in child appropriately.
Typhoid is a disease caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. Generally, these bacteria can thrive in unhygienic or undercooked food or drinks.
Children are considered the most susceptible to typhoid. This is because the immune system in children is not yet strong and is still developing.
Also read articles about: How to Boost Immune System Naturally in Child
Symptoms of Typhoid in Children
Symptoms of typhoid in children can appear about 1 to 2 weeks after the child is exposed to infection by bacteria that can cause typhoid. When a child is infected with typhoid, the child will experience mild to severe symptoms. Symptoms experienced by the child can last up to 4 weeks or even more. Some of the symptoms that appear when a child is exposed to typhoid are as follows:
- Fever that doesn't go away for more than a week
- Body feels weak and achy
- Headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sore throat
- On the tongue appears a whitish layer
- Loss of appetite
- Stomach ache
- Digestive disorders, such as difficulty passing stools or diarrhea
When children are exposed to typhoid, children will experience weight loss, enlarged liver and spleen, and dehydration due to lack of drinking. Usually the symptoms of typhoid in children can disappear after 3 or 4 weeks if treated immediately.
Conversely, if typhoid in children is not treated promptly, the symptoms of typhoid in children can last for more than 1 month and can lead to various risks of complications, such as:
- Intestinal ulcers (bowel perforation)
- Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, such as the intestines and stomach
- Blood poisoning or sepsis
- Peritonitis
- Bronchitis
- Meningitis
- Shock
- Loss of consciousness or coma
Some of these complications can be dangerous and have the potential to threaten the safety of the child. Therefore, when a child experiences typhoid symptoms, the child must immediately get treatment from a doctor.
How to Treat Typhoid in Child
If your child experiences some of the typhoid symptoms as mentioned above, then immediately take your child to the nearest doctor or hospital to undergo an examination and get the right treatment.
Usually the doctor will examine the symptoms of typhoid in children which includes a physical examination and supporting examinations such as urine tests, blood tests, widal test, and stool or blood cultures.
If the results of the doctor's examination show that your child has typhoid, the doctor will usually provide some of the following treatments:
1. Giving medicine
The doctor will give antibiotics to treat the bacterial infection that causes typhoid in children. Antibiotics given by doctors can be in the form of injections through an IV or medicines taken such as syrups, tablets, or capsules.
Usually antibiotics for typhoid will be given for 1 to 2 weeks. If you are experiencing complications, maybe the doctor will give antibiotics for a longer period of time, maybe more than 4 weeks.
When antibiotics have been prescribed by the doctor, the child must finish the antibiotics even though the symptoms of typhoid are felt to have improved. This is important to ensure that the bacteria that cause typhoid have completely disappeared. In addition, to treat fever during typhoid, the doctor may also give paracetamol.
2. Giving fluids
Symptoms of typhoid in children, such as high fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and decreased appetite, can make children vulnerable to dehydration. To replace body fluids lost due to dehydration, doctors usually will provide fluid intake through an IV. In this condition, the child should be treated in a hospital.
To speed up the healing process of typhoid in children, some of the above medical treatments also need to be accompanied by various efforts that need to be made by parents. The efforts that can be made are as follows:
1. Provide nutritious food to children on a regular basis
One of the symptoms of typhoid commonly experienced by children is a decrease in appetite. However, during illness, children must still be given nutritious food intake so that their nutritional and energy needs can be met. With adequate nutritional needs, the child will recover faster.
As a parent you can provide soft textured and highly nutritious foods for children, such as porridge, chicken soup, cooked eggs, fish, and vegetables and fruit such as boiled potatoes and bananas.
If your child has not been able to eat in large portions because of decreased appetite, then you can feed him in smaller portions but often. Don't forget to process food hygienically and fully cooked.
2. Ensuring children get enough rest
While suffering from typhoid, the child must rest completely. Then after the fever and other typhoid symptoms subside, the child needs to rest for a week. Adequate rest has an important role to restore energy and support the healing process of children from typhoid.
Although the symptoms of typhoid in children have disappeared, this disease can come back at any time. Even the typhoid symptoms experienced by children can recur if they do not get proper treatment. Therefore, how to treat typhoid in child appropriately is important to do. In addition, so that children avoid typhoid disease, provide children with hygienic food and drinks and teach children to wash their hands regularly. If symptoms of typhoid appear in children, immediately take the child to the doctor for proper treatment.
