It's Flu Season!

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It is flu season (and has been since December)! The media tells us that influenza (flu) is on the decline. Maybe so--but there is still plenty of it out there. 

Friday in the office I evaluated 8-10 children with flu-like symptoms: sudden onset of high fever, cough, body aches, headache, runny nose, sore throat, and fatigue. They all looked miserable, with fever and sometimes chills, slightly glassy and reddish eyes, cough, and exhaustion.

Flu looks different from a cold. Kids with the flu are not usually smiling and perky in the office. Sometimes there is vomiting and loose stools--but these are just part of the whole picture, not the main symptoms.

Flu vaccines ARE helping this year--though we have had a few break through infections even in those who were immunized. Overall, the majority of children with confirmed influenza have not had their flu shots. Even if the vaccine did not completely prevent the flu, the symptoms in the immunized have been less severe and lasting for a shorter amount of time.

The high fever, cough, body aches, headache, runny nose, sore throat, and fatigue that come with the flu often last for a full week. It is important to be sure the patient gets enough fluids throughout their illness so they do not become dehydrated. Rest is also important. People with flu and fever should not go to school or other activities. Even if the fever comes down with some ibuprofen or acetaminophen the patient is still contagious to others and needs to rest to achieve a full recovery.

Medication for the flu includes Tamiflu, an antiviral antibiotic. In cases of influenza, if started within the first 24-48 hours of the symptoms, it can reduce the severity and length of the symptoms. Unfortunately, Tamiflu suspension tastes terrible and it has been quite difficult for parents to get their young children to take it. In addition, sometimes Tamiflu can be hard to find in the community. Tamiflu is not as good for flu as amoxicillin is for strep throat--it's definitely not an instant cure. Although pediatricians are encouraged to prescribe it for flu patients, I have found parents have a very difficult time getting it into their children. I tried it with my own kids a few years ago, and it is not a happy memory (as the doctor did not succeed in getting her own children to take it!).

Get a flu vaccine for your children if you are able to do so. Keep your children at home, resting, and drinking lots of fluids if they have the flu. Go to the doctor's office early in the illness if you think your child might benefit from Tamiflu. Good luck, I hope it's over soon!

Flu and Flu Shots

Hey, I got my flu shot today! Tina (one of Trestlewood's nurses) gave it to me in my left arm about an hour and a half ago. I feel fine. I could hardly tell the needle went in, and my arm doesn't hurt a bit. I don't ache, I don't have a fever, I didn't catch flu from the vaccine, and I am so happy to be protected from this season's flu viruses. I am sure to be exposed to them many times this year.

My girls had their flu vaccines on Sunday, just two days ago. They prefer the FluMist (a flu vaccine that is given via drops squirted in the nose). My husband will probably drop by my office soon and surprise one of Trestlewood's nurses to get his vaccine. Everyone in my family gets a flu vaccine every year. We started this tradition after my oldest got the flu in first grade. It was quickly followed by pneumonia, and then in her weakened state, strep throat. It was awful, and I never wanted a child of mine to go through that again. Unfortunately, my middle daughter had the flu a few years ago. She was coughing, had fevers upwards of 104, and was utterly miserable for a week.

I also take flu shots to Indiana to give to my parents and my mother-in-law. I think giving out flu shots each year is one of the biggest contributions I can make to the health of my community and my loved ones. The other big impact I have on public and individual preventive health is the rest of the recommended childhood vaccines--but that's for another blog.

Flu, at least the flu we vaccinate for, is NOT the stomach flu! I am told daily how this or that family had "the flu" last week, or last month, or last year. Or how they never get "the flu." Or, how the flu vaccine didn't work for them because they still got "the flu." When pressed for details it is clear that most people mean gastroenteritis when they say "the flu." Gastroenteritis is an illness that is very contagious, lasts a day or two, and involves vomiting and diarrhea. The flu I am talking about is influenza, a RESPIRATORY illness.

The symptoms of influenza are fever, severe muscle aches, coughing, sore throat, runny nose, extreme fatigue, chills, with occasionally some stomach symptoms. It lasts for about a week. It is also very contagious. Flu weakens and can kill its victims, especially those who are already debilitated. It can lead to complications, such as pneumonia. At the very least it is a miserable week to spend in bed with a box of tissues, cough drops, and other cough/cold/anti-fever medicines.

Flu vaccine is recommended yearly for everyone who is six months or older who does not have an allergy or other contraindication to the vaccine. While it is especially important for people with chronic illnesses such as asthma or diabetes, it is recommended for all of us. We can all benefit from a yearly flu vaccine.

Have you and your children had your yearly seasonal flu vaccine? Get yours as soon as you can!

The following are some links to reliable information about the flu and flu vaccine. This year's vaccine includes the H1N1 subtype, so a separate shot for that one isn't necessary. Children under age nine who are getting the flu vaccine for the first time, or who have not had at least two previous seasonal flu vaccines plus one of last year's H1N1 vaccines, will need two doses of flu vaccine spaced one month apart to be completely immunized.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/Symptom-Checker/Pages/Influenza.aspx