Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Delhi H1N1 Rise: Child Behaviour Matters More Than Fever Number
When a child gets sick with a cough and fever, parents often worry about the number on the thermometer.
This article explains that what matters more is how the child is acting.
A child with a lower fever who is very sleepy, breathing fast, and refusing water can be sicker than a child with a higher fever who plays and drinks.
H1N1, a type of flu, is spreading in Delhi during the rainy season, with 1,349 cases reported.
Doctors say the first day is for watching and giving fluids, rest, and the right amount of fever medicine.
Antibiotics do not work on flu because it is caused by a virus, not bacteria.
Parents should call a doctor if the child gets duller, breathes fast, refuses fluids, or vomits a lot.
Some signs, like trouble breathing, blue lips, seizures, or very little urine, mean the child needs emergency care right away.
A fever that goes away and then comes back strongly is also a warning sign.
The best plan is to keep the child hydrated, rested, and at home while staying alert.
Delhi has reported 1,349 H1N1 cases as infections climb through the monsoon season.
Dr Shravan Krishna Reddy says a child with a 100°F fever who is dull and breathing fast may be more concerning than one with 102°F who is active and drinking.
Parents are advised to monitor activity, breathing, hydration and urine output rather than fixate on the fever number.
Antibiotics are useless against viral flu, and antivirals like oseltamivir should only be given on a doctor's clinical decision.
Emergency red flags include difficulty breathing, bluish lips or face, extreme drowsiness, little urine, seizures and severe chest pain.
- Who
- Children in Delhi-NCR and their parents; Dr Shravan Krishna Reddy, a paediatrician and neonatologist at The Family Tree Hospital, Tirupati, offers the guidance.
- What
- Expert guidance on managing flu-like symptoms in children as H1N1 cases rise, stressing that a child's behaviour matters more than the fever reading.
- When
- During the current monsoon season, with 1,349 H1N1 cases reported so far.
- Where
- Delhi-NCR, where H1N1 cases are climbing; the advising doctor is based in Tirupati.
- Why
- H1N1 can look like any other viral fever at first, and a child's behaviour, breathing and hydration can signal danger more reliably than the thermometer.
- H1N1 cases reported
- 1,349
- Region affected
- Delhi (Delhi-NCR)
- Season
- Monsoon
- Expert quoted
- Dr Shravan Krishna Reddy, paediatrician and neonatologist
- Hospital
- The Family Tree Hospital, Tirupati
- Key monitoring signs
- Activity, breathing, hydration, urine output
- Emergency red flags
- Difficulty breathing, bluish lips or face, drowsiness, little urine, seizures, severe chest pain