Disclaimer: This article is not meant as medical advice. If you are concerned about your child’s health please seek appropriate medical care, consult your family doctor or Paediatrician.
When our children are sick and we aren’t sure what the cause is it can be hard sometimes to know if it’s a virus or bacterial infection causing their symptoms. It can be helpful to know though so you can get the right treatment, care and home remedies in place to support recovery. Here’s a few clues that you can look out for:
Snotty nose – if the mucus is clear, grey or white then that is often indications of a viral infection. Yellow or green mucus is usually a sign of a bacterial infection.
Sore throat - if your child’s throat at the back of their mouth is red it is probably a virus, but if there are white patches at the back of the throat on the tonsils then it’s likely to be bacterial.
A high fever (39°c or above) for only 1 or 2 days is usually more likely to be a viral infection, whereas a high fever for more than 2 days can mean the infection is bacterial.
A low fever (37.5°c - 39°c) for up to 4 days is probably more likely to be a viral infection but if it continues for longer than 4 days it could be a bacterial infection.
Vomiting/Diarrhoea can have multiple causes, if they are caused by a virus there will likely be other symptoms such as fever, lethargy, aches/pains, cough/cold, rashes etc. If bacterial or caused by food poisoning initially only the vomiting or diarrhoea may be present. Vomiting and diarrhoea can be serious in children and particularly babies, always watch out for signs of dehydration and seek medical support if symptoms worsen.
So what are the difference between viruses and bacterial infections?
Viruses Usually a virus affects more than one part of the body, often with multiple symptoms including: sore throat, runny nose, headache, loss of voice, cough, cold symptoms, sneezing, fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Viral infections include illnesses such as influenza, the common cold, hand foot and mouth and chicken pox. Viruses can spread and be highly infectious, they thrive by finding a host cell in a living organism to infect and take over so it can reproduce and grow. Antibiotics wont help a virus. Rest, fluids (staying hydrated) and an immune boosting diet will help the body's natural defenses to get back to full health. Rarely Dr's may prescribe specific antiviral medications for certain viruses - these inhibit the growth of the virus but cannot kill it completely.
Bacterial Infection A bacterial infection usually affects one part of the body and may or may not be accompanied by fever (temp above 37.5°c). Bacterial infections include illness such as whooping cough, urinary tract infections, and impetigo and are caused by single bacterial cells known as microorganisms that exist in the air, on plants, animals, and on surfaces – pretty much everywhere!
Most bacterial cells that we encounter are harmless and lots are actually good for us. Bacterial cells outnumber regular cells in the human body. The good bacteria in our guts play an essential role in our overall health.
Bacterial infections however can be, and sometimes do need to be treated with antibiotics. Dr’s are being more cautious with prescribing antibiotics, as inappropriate and overuse of antibiotics has led to bacterial diseases becoming resistant to treatment. Antibiotics can kill both the good and the bad bacteria indiscriminately, and the unnecessary loss of good bacteria in our microbiome, especially in the gut, can create longer-term health issues and have a negative impact on our emotional and mental health. If you or your child is prescribed antibiotics you may want to consider taking probiotics for at least 6 weeks after a course of antibiotics to replenish the good gut bacteria.
Can you have a virus and a bacterial infection at the same time? Yes. Sometimes children start with a virus but then get a bacterial infection on top of this. Signs of this are usually multiple symptoms for a few days, that suddenly getting much worse or your child’s health might have been improving but suddenly gets worse again.
This is because a viral infection triggers a response in the body that alerts the body that there are multiple infections which in turn triggers increased inflammation in the body and a more extreme immune response. This is when more serious illnesses such as Sepsis, Meningitis and Pneumonia can occur.
Always seek medical support and advice if you think your child is unwell or you are concerned in any way about their health.
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