Flu Information
The Flu:
A Guide for Parents
Influenza (also known as 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. CDC estimates that
between 6,000 and 26,000 children younger than 5 years have been hospitalized
each year in the United States because of influenza. The flu vaccine is safe
and helps protect children from flu.
What parents should know
How
serious is flu?
While flu illness can vary from mild to severe, children
often need medical care because of flu. Children younger than 5 years and
children of any age with certain long-term health problems are at high risk of
flu complications like pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus and ear infections. Some
health problems that are known to make children more vulnerable to flu include
asthma, diabetes and disorders of the brain or nervous system.
How
does flu spread?
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.
What
are flu symptoms?
Flu
symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body
aches, headache, chills, feeling tired and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea
(more common in children than adults). Some people with the flu will not have a
fever.
Protect your child
How
can I protect my child from flu?
The first and best way to protect against flu is to get a
yearly flu vaccine for yourself and your child.
§ Flu
vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and older every year. Flu
shots and nasal spray flu vaccines are both options for vaccination.
§ It’s
especially important that young children and children with certain long-term
health problems get vaccinated.
§ Caregivers
of children at high risk of flu complications should get a flu vaccine. (Babies
younger than 6 months are at high risk for serious flu complications, but too
young to get a flu vaccine.)
§ Pregnant
women should get a flu vaccine to protect themselves and their baby from flu.
Research shows that flu vaccination protects the baby from flu for several
months after birth.
§ Flu
viruses are constantly changing and so flu vaccines are updated often to
protect against the flu viruses that research indicates are most likely to
cause illness during the upcoming flu season.
Is
flu vaccine safe?
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. Each person should get
one that is appropriate for their age. CDC and the American Academy of
Pediatrics recommend an annual flu vaccine for all children 6 months and older.
What
are the benefits of getting a flu vaccine?
§ A flu vaccine can keep you and your child
from getting sick. When vaccine viruses and circulating viruses are matched, flu
vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of getting sick with flu by about
half.
§ Flu vaccines can keep your child from being
hospitalized from flu. One recent study showed that flu vaccine reduced
children’s risk of flu-related pediatric intensive care unit admission by 74%.
§ Flu vaccine can prevent your child from
dying from flu. 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.
§ Flu vaccination also may make your illness
milder if you do get sick.
§ Getting yourself and your child vaccinated
also can protect 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.
What
are some other ways I can protect my child against flu?
In addition to getting a flu vaccine, you and your
child should take everyday actions to help prevent the spread of germs.
Stay away from people who are sick as much as
possible to keep from getting sick yourself. If you or your child are sick,
avoid others as much as possible to keep from infecting them. Also, remember to
regularly cover your coughs and sneezes, wash your hands often, avoid touching
your eyes, nose and mouth, and clean surfaces that may be contaminated with flu
viruses. These everyday actions can help reduce your chances of getting sick
and prevent the spread of germs to others if you are sick. However, a yearly
flu vaccine is the best way to prevent flu illness.
If your child is sick
What
can I do if my child gets sick?
Talk to your doctor early if you are
worried about your child’s illness.
Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and drinks enough
fluids.
If your child is 5 years or older and does not have a
longterm health problems and gets flu symptoms, including a fever and/or cough,
consult your doctor as needed.
Children younger than 5 years of age – especially those
younger than 2 years – and children with certain long-term health problems
(including asthma, diabetes and disorders of the brain or nervous system), are
at high risk of serious flu complications. Call your doctor or take your child
to the doctor right away if they develop flu symptoms.
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, you should go to
the emergency room:
§ Fast
breathing or trouble breathing
§ Bluish
or gray skin color
§ Not drinking
enough fluids (not going to the bathroom or not making as much urine as they
normally do)
§ Severe
or persistent vomiting
§ Not
waking up or not interacting § Being so irritable that the child does not want
to be held
§ Flu
symptoms improve, but then return with fever and worse cough
§ Fever
with rash
Is
there a medicine to treat flu?
Yes. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines that can be
used to treat flu illness. They can shorten your illness and make it milder,
and they can prevent serious complications that could result in a hospital
stay. Antivirals work best when started during the first 2 days of illness.
Antiviral drugs are recommended to treat flu in people who are very sick (for
example, people who are in the hospital) or people who are at high risk of
serious flu complications who get flu symptoms. Antivirals can be given to
children and pregnant women.
How
long can a sick person spread 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.
Can
my child go to school, day care, or camp if he or she is sick?
No. Your child should stay home to rest and to avoid
spreading flu to other children or caregivers.
When
can my child go back to school after having flu?
Keep your child home from school, day care, or camp for at
least 24 hours after their fever is gone. (The fever should be gone without the
use of a fever-reducing medicine.) A fever is defined as 100°F (37.8°C) or
higher.
For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/flu
or
call 800-CDC-INFO