by Katie Porterfield
December 16, 2010

What is the flu?
A contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza (flu) virus, seasonal flu leads to thousands of hospitalizations (and often hundreds of death) each year. The duration of the flu season, as well as the severity of the flu virus, varies from one year to the next. Flu outbreaks begin as early as October and typically peak in January. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not know the exact number of people who die from seasonal flu each year, it estimates that over a period of 30 years, between 1976 and 2006, the number of annual flu-related deaths ranged from 3,000–49,000. In 2009, a new flu virus known as H1N1 caused the first flu pandemic in more than 40 years and is estimated to have taken the lives of about 12,000 people (including 1,280 children ages 0–17) between April 2009 and April 2010. During the same time period, approximately 274,000 people (about 87,000 children ages 0–17) were hospitalized due to H1N1.

What are flu symptoms?
The flu virus causes a variety of symptoms many of which could be mistaken for the common cold. Flu virus symptoms, however, are more intense than those experienced with the common cold and can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis, ear infections, sinus infections, and dehydration in children under 5 years of age (or in children with chronic health conditions such as asthma and diabetes). An average of 20,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized each year with flu-related complications. Children who have the flu will exhibit some or all of the following symptoms: fever (typically 101 degrees Fahrenheit or higher), cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle and body aches, headache, fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhea.

How do children get the flu?
Although children can get the flu by touching an object that has the flu virus on it and then touching their mouths or noses, they are more likely to get it through contact with contaminated droplets produced when an infected person sneezes or coughs. These droplets, according to the CDC, can land in the mouths or noses of people up to six feet away! A healthy adult is contagious as soon as one day before symptoms begin and remains contagious up to 5–7 days after becoming sick, so it’s easy to see why this highly contagious virus is easily spread. Children, or others with weaker immune systems, are thought to be contagious for an even longer period of time.

How is the flu treated?
Although the flu vaccine is the best line of defense against the flu, doctors can prescribe antiviral drugs to combat the flu virus. These medicines, which keep flu viruses from reproducing in the body, weaken flu symptoms, shorten the length of the illness, and prevent serious flu complications. While most healthy adults who get the flu will not need antiviral drugs, children under 5 years old (and especially under 2) are at greater risk for developing severe flu-related complications so antiviral drugs may be prescribed. As a result, it is important that parents contact their child’s health care provider right away if a child under 5 begins to exhibit flu-like symptoms. Aside from antiviral drugs, children with the flu should get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids. Children who are breastfeeding should continue to do so. Acetaminophen or ibuprofen (as directed by the child’s physician) can be given to manage fever, aches, and pains.

How can the flu be prevented?
The CDC recommends a yearly influenza vaccine as the first and most important step to protecting against flu viruses. Everyone above the age of 6 months is urged to get their annual flu shot. Although children under 6 months are too young to be vaccinated, they are also at a higher risk for flu complications compared to children of other ages. To protect these infants, the CDC urges all flu vaccine eligible members of their household, as well as their caregivers, to receive the vaccine. The CDC also recommends that all children between the ages of 6 months and 8 years receive two doses of the 2010–2011 flu vaccine four or more weeks apart unless they have already received:

• at least 1 dose of the 2009 H1N1 vaccine last flu season, and
• at least 1 dose of seasonal vaccine prior to the 2009–2010 flu season or 2 doses of 2009–10 seasonal flu vaccine last flu season

If a child has fulfilled both of the above requirements, he only needs one dose of the 2010–2011 flu vaccine. For infants, the flu shot is administered on the outside of the thigh. If a child is 2 years of age or older, he can receive the nasal spray flu vaccine.

The 2010–2011 flu vaccine protects against three strains of flu, including the H1N1 virus that caused the pandemic in 2009. In addition to the vaccine, however, the CDC recommends the following basic steps for avoiding the flu: wash your hands frequently with soap and water; avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth; sneeze and cough into a tissue or, if tissue isn’t available, into an elbow or shoulder (rather than a hand). Because children are constantly putting toys in their mouths, parents should consider washing toys frequently as an extra precaution. If a child gets the flu, he should be kept home (except to seek medical care) until he has been fever-free for at least 24 hours.

When should I call a doctor?
Because children younger than 5 years old (especially those under 2) are at high risk for developing flu-related complications (pneumonia, bronchitis, ear infections, sinus infections, and dehydration), parents should talk to their child’s health care provider immediately if their child has flu-like symptoms. Parents should seek immediate medical care for their child if the child displays the following emergency warning signs: fast breathing or trouble breathing; bluish skin color; refusal of fluids; extreme drowsiness or listlessness; irritability; or skin rash. Infants who display any of the above symptoms or are unable to eat, don’t produce tears when crying, or have significantly fewer wet diapers than usual should be taken to the emergency room immediately.

Katie Porterfield is a freelance writer and former magazine editor in Nashville, Tennessee. She is mom to twin boys.