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how long viral infection last
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Pediatric Medicine
Question #14949
4 hours ago
4

how long viral infection last - #14949

Meera

I am trying to figure out how long a viral infection lasts because my son got sick like a week ago, and I’m already feeling stressed about it. At first, it was just a sore throat, then a runny nose, and now he’s had this weird cough that doesn’t seem to go away. The doctor said it was probably just a viral infection, but when I asked her how long viral infections last, she didn’t give me a specific timeframe, which left me kinda confused. He’s only 6, and I hate seeing him feel crummy. He’s been home from school for 5 days now, and I’m worried if it’s normal for a viral infection to drag on this long! I read somewhere that some viral infections can last just a few days and others can stick around for weeks, but how long viral infections last seems to vary wildly. I keep second-guessing if this is still part of the same virus or if he picked something else up! I mean, how long should I expect this to go on? I don’t know if I should be pushing for more tests or just waiting it out. Anyone have insight on how long viral infections last in kids? Needing some reassurance here!

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