Influenza – the flu – is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs. Flu is different from a cold, and usually comes on suddenly.
Each year flu viruses cause millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospital stays and thousands or tens of thousands of deaths in the United States.
Flu can be very dangerous for children. The CDC estimates that between 6,000 and 26,000 children younger than 5 years are hospitalized each year in the U.S. because of influenza. The flu vaccine is safe and helps protect children from flu.
Flu viruses are thought to spread mainly by droplets made when someone with flu coughs, sneezes or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. A person also can get flu by touching something that has flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, eyes, or nose.
Flu symptoms
Unlike a cold, the flu comes on very suddenly. Flu symptoms include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Body aches
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Feeling very tired
- Some people, especially children, may have stomach problems and diarrhea
The Flu Vaccine
Flu vaccines are made using strict safety and production measures. Millions of people have safely received flu vaccines for decades. Flu shots and nasal spray flu vaccines are both options for vaccination. Different types of flu
vaccines are licensed for different ages. The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend an annual flu vaccine for all children 6 months and older.
A study using data from recent flu seasons found that flu vaccine reduced the risk of flu-associated death by half among children with high risk medical conditions and by nearly two-thirds among children without medical conditions.
- Get the flu vaccine for you and your children every year. It helps make flu
sickness milder or prevents it all together. - Getting the vaccine early in the fall means you and your children will be
protected when flu season starts. - Ask people close to your children, like babysitters and relatives, to get the
vaccine, too. - The vaccine is especially important for people with certain health conditions, like asthma, diabetes, heart or lung conditions because the flu can make them even sicker.
- Getting yourself and your child vaccinated protects others who may be more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with certain long-term health problems
If Your Child Gets the Flu
The flu can spread to other adults and children. If your child gets the flu, keep your child home from school for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone without using fever-control medicine. This helps avoid giving the flu to others.
People with flu may be able to infect others from 1 day before getting sick to up to 5 to 7 days after. Severely ill people or young children may be able to spread the flu longer, especially if they still have symptoms
Also:
- Your child will need plenty of rest and lots of fluids.
- Talk with your child’s health care provider before giving a child any over the-counter medicine.
- Never give your child or teen aspirin or any medicine that has aspirin in it. Aspirin can cause serious problems.
- If your child gets flu symptoms and is younger than 5 or has a medical condition like asthma, diabetes, or heart or lung disease, call their health
care provider. Young children and those with certain medical conditions
are at greater risk for getting seriously ill from the flu. Ask their health care
provider if they recommend an antiviral drug. - If you are worried about your child, call their health care provider.
What if my child seems very sick?
Even healthy children can get very sick from flu. If your child is experiencing the following emergency warning signs, go to the emergency room:
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing
- Bluish lips or face
- Ribs pulling in with each breath
- Chest pain
- Severe muscle pain (child refuses to walk)
- Dehydration (no urine for 8 hours, dry mouth, no tears when crying)
- Not alert or interacting when awake
- Seizures
- Fever above 104°F
- In children less than 12 weeks, any fever
- Fever or cough that improve but then return or worsen
- Worsening of chronic medical conditions
Don’t Spread the Flu
These everyday actions can help reduce your chances of getting sick and prevent the spread of germs to others if you are sick.
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- If soap and water aren’t handy, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, not your hands. Put used
tissues in the trash. - Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. That’s how germs spread.
- Stay away from people who are sick.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention