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ages of childhood are listed. The list is extensive. It is beyond the scope of this site to cover
all the problems. We will gradually add as many as possible.
January to April although we had an early flu season in 03. It is due a virus infection
causing high fever, Cough, tiredness, headache, sore throat, body aches and some
runny nose. t usually a week long illness. Diarrhea and vomiting also can occur but are
more common in children. It can be harder to differentiate common Colds from flu.
Colds are usually milder than the flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny
or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems. Flu test can
help differentiate the two.
Following high risk group of people get more complications from flu than others.
- Children under 2 years old can really sick and get hospitalized.
- People who are 65 years old or older
- People with chronic (ongoing) or long-term health problems
- Women who will be pregnant during flu season (typically November through
March)
CDC(Center for disease Control) recommends getting flu shot for the high risk group
and also for people who are in contact with the high risk group. These people should
get the flu shot:
- Children ages 6 months to 23 months.
- People who are 65 years of age and older.
- People 2 years old or older who have an underlying, long-term illness (heart or
lung disease, metabolic disease [like diabetes], kidney disease, a blood disorder,
or a weakened immune system (including people with HIV/AIDS)). - Women who will be pregnant this season.
- People who live in nursing homes or other chronic-care places.
- People who are 6 months to 18 years of age, and take aspirin daily.
- Health-care workers who take care of patients.
- People who have or take care of a baby under 6 months old. (Do not give a flu
shot to babies under 6 months.) - Good Health Habits
The following measures should help prevent spread of flu. Learn more at Stopping
the Spread of Germs at Home, Work & School.
- Avoid close contact.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your
distance from others to protect them from getting sick too. - Stay home when you are sick.
- If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will
help prevent others from catching your illness. - Cover your mouth and nose.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may
prevent those around you from getting sick. - Clean your hands.
- Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with
germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
If you have flu symptoms, you could get tested for flu by taking a deep nasal swab or
nasal secretions. It is rapid test and report is usually available within an hour or two.
Take rest,drink plenty of fluids. Use tylenol or motrin for fever (avoid aspirin because of
risk of developing Reye's syndrome). Watch for signs of pneumonia. Rapid breathing,
sick, lot of cough, bluish lip, tongue and chest pain are the common symptoms of
pneumonia. There are prescription antiviral medications that can be given to shorten
the course of illness. It need to be started within the first 48 hours of the illness to be
effective.
Watch for the Warning signs of flu in children - Fast breathing or trouble breathing,
bluish skin color, not drinking enough fluids, not waking up or not interacting, being so
irritable that the child does not want to be held, flu-like symptoms improve but then
return with fever and worse cough and fever with a rash.
health information for parents and children. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for medical advice. We try our best to provide the right
information. Some of the information in the site is our opinion not necessarily accurate. We do not take any responsibility for any errors in the
website and for any consequences. Your primary physician should be the person who can tell the right thing for your child. Parents have to
decide the right course of action for their child after discussing with their health care provider. This information is as current as we could make
it. But medical information is always changing, and some information given here may be out of date. This site provides links to other third party
sites as a convenience to you. We do not control third party sites. We are not responsible for the content of any linked site.
