Is a positive test for parainfluenza virus serious?

As we all know, influenza virus is very common in life. The incidence of influenza virus in children is relatively high. If the parainfluenza virus is positive, it is not known how serious it is. In fact, the treatment course of viral infection is relatively long, but this still depends on the specific situation of the child. If the child does not have a fever or loss of appetite, it is generally not a big deal. Just give the child some oral anti-inflammatory and antiviral drugs.

Parainfluenza virus is an acute respiratory infectious disease that is easily caused by the virus. Flu symptoms affect the whole body, including fever, chills, sweating, body aches, headache, bone pain, muscle pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, cough, nasal congestion, etc. In severe cases, it can cause pneumonia and other complications. You can use quick-acting cold capsules or chlorpheniramine cold tablets. Generally, parainfluenza virus can heal itself, but it is best to seek medical attention in time to avoid infecting family members and people around you.

The main diseases that parainfluenza viruses can cause include the common cold, bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, adenoviruses, etc. that are similar to parainfluenza viruses can also cause the common cold and even bronchitis. However, influenza virus, which belongs to the Orthomyxoviridae family and is the pathogen that causes influenza, is not in the same family as parainfluenza virus.

Parainfluenza viruses are also different from influenza viruses in classification. Influenza viruses are divided into types A, B, and C, and type A is the pathogenic virus that causes influenza in humans. For example, the influenza virus currently monitored in Beijing is still subtype A3, which is basically the same as last year, and its overall activity is relatively stable. But parainfluenza virus is divided into four types, namely PIV1-4. The results of parainfluenza virus testing for children in Hong Kong this time were mainly type 4 (PIV4), with type 3 (PIV3) also detected in some individual cases, so it can be considered the result of both types 3 and 4 invading children at the same time.

Since influenza virus belongs to orthomyxovirus and parainfluenza virus belongs to paramyxovirus, there are some differences in their biological characteristics. For example, influenza viruses have neuraminidase, but most parainfluenza viruses do not; influenza viruses have no hemolytic effect, but parainfluenza viruses do have hemolytic effect.

In addition, parainfluenza viruses have some siblings, such as measles virus, mumps virus, respiratory syncytial virus and Newcastle virus. Respiratory syncytial virus, like parainfluenza virus, causes the common cold, tracheitis and pneumonia; Newcastle virus is mainly transmitted among chickens, causing Newcastle disease.