When antiviral agents are mentioned for children, they mean flu agents because this is the most common disease. Every year, influenza puts millions of children in hospital beds, and parental concerns are perfectly understood. And the point is not that parents look after children badly. Unfortunately, immunity to diseases every year falls not only in children but also in adults.
At the same time, the number of viruses increases, they mutate, adapt to drugs, and it becomes more difficult to treat them. That is why the search for new drugs to combat mutated viruses does not stop.
The child’s body is weaker than the body of an adult, his immunity has not yet been established. The same medications for an adult can give a good therapeutic effect, and the child is more likely to harm than help. Therefore, many efforts are made by scientists to develop new antiviral agents for children.
There are several main types of viruses. Herpes virus types 1, 2 and 3 are most often offered to be treated with "Valacyclovir", "Acyclovir", "Famciclovir". Cytomegalovirus is considered a more severe infection and is treated with Valganciclovir, Ganciclovir, Foscarnet - toxic drugs that children carry quite hard. Therefore, they are used only in particularly difficult cases, when the disease is severe.
Different types of hepatitis are also treated by different means. With hepatitis D, it is enough to use interferons. In hepatitis C, Ribavirin is added to interferons. The following antiviral agents for children are used to treat hepatitis B: Tenofovir, Telbivudin, Entecavir, Adefovir, Lamivudin plus interferons.
Viral infections also include HIV, for the treatment of which antiretroviral therapy is prescribed. Only a doctor can prescribe it.
But still, most parents care about the treatment of influenza and SARS. Children suffer from these diseases quite often, and I want to find a remedy (on the full shelves of pharmacies) that will treat effectively and quickly.
If the disease is severe, use Zanamivir and Oseltamivir (neurominidase inhibitors), as well as Rimantadine and Amantadine (M channel blockers). Most often, in the fight against influenza, children are given Tamiflu and Relenza. Children over 7 years old can be given "Rimantadine", which is good for flu, but with other acute respiratory viral infections it gives much less effect.
Doctors are happy to prescribe Arbidol, but the drug has not passed the full cycle of clinical trials, you need to be careful with it.
Starting from the age of 6, children can be given “Kagocel”, which is effective both in case of influenza and SARS, but its use should be started as early as possible, no later than four days after the onset of the disease.
The drug Viferon (Interferon Alfa), usually available in the form of rectal suppositories, is popular with doctors. This children's antiviral agent can be used from a very early age, it works well for all viral infections. But some doctors believe that Viferon increases the temperature and interferes with its decrease.
Also, from an early age, Interferon Gamma can be used, which also fights well with many SARSs and the flu.
The most commonly used antipyretics are Aspirin, Nimesulide, Nurofen, Paracetamol. But not all of these medicines are safe. "Nimesulide" well and quickly reduces the temperature, but affects the liver. Regarding Aspirin, the famous doctor Komarovsky is very categorical. In his opinion, only Ibuprofen and Paracetamol can be used as antiviral for children.
In many cases, you can do without chemical drugs, and instead use homeopathic antiviral drugs for children, such as Anaferon, Aflubin, Oscillococcinum, which are less harmful to the child's body.