|
Information about the Flu
By providing web links to many official sources of information about both H1N1
and seasonal flu, I hope to provide you with the knowledge to protect your loved
ones. Prince George's County H1N1 Flu information
from the County Health Department -
click here.
Weblinks:
CDC's Advice to Parents: Swine Flu Shots
for All
By
Delece Smith-Barrow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The first swine flu
precaution that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests for
parents: As soon as a vaccine is available, try to get it for everyone in your
family.
"We're going to
continue to stress that the vaccine is the most important thing that parents can
do to protect their children," said Tom Skinner, a CDC spokesman. This H1N1
vaccine should be taken in addition to the seasonal flu vaccine, and not as a
replacement for it. (The seasonal flu vaccine, offered every fall, is
recommended for people at risk for serious complications, including very young
children, people older than 65, those with chronic health conditions and
pregnant women.)
Following are other
CDC recommendations for parents:
All
members of the household should wash their hands frequently, using soap and
water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Antibacterial soaps are no better than
ordinary soaps, since swine flu is caused by a virus, not by bacteria.
Teach
children to use tissues to cover the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
If tissues are unavailable, the crook of an elbow or a shoulder is a good
substitute -- not the hands, which can spread the virus to whatever they touch.
Anyone
who becomes sick -- flu symptoms include fever, sore throat, coughing, chills,
fatigue and a runny nose -- should stay home for at least 24 hours after the
fever is gone. If symptoms worsen, children should extend their stay at home for
seven more days, no matter how soon they feel better. This means home,
not just out of school: "Children shouldn't be . . . mixing in crowds or going
to malls when they are sick," said Lance Chilton, a member of the CDC's
advisory committee on immunization practices. And once any member of a household
gets sick, all school-age children should remain home for five days.
Children should receive emergency care if their breathing becomes rapid or if
they have trouble breathing, develop bluish or gray skin color or severe or
persistent vomiting, or if their flulike symptoms improve but come back with a
fever and more severe cough. Resistance to drinking adequate amounts of water,
irritability and a difficulty waking up and interacting with others are also
warning signs.
Adults
who experience difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, pain or pressure in
the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion, severe or persistent vomiting
and flulike symptoms that improve but come back with a fever and more severe
cough should also seek emergency care.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/24/AR2009082402327.html |
