Ehat to Do When You Have the Flu With a Baby in the House

Cardinal POINTS

• The flu can be unsafe for all babies, even healthy babies.

• Babies 6 months and older need a flu vaccine every year. It helps protect children from serious health problems.

• Parents, other family members and caregivers need a influenza vaccine every year to help protect babies who are too young to get the vaccine.

• Flu signs and symptoms include body aches, chills, cough, fatigue, fever, headache, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhea.

• If you call up your baby has the flu, call her provider right away. Quick handling can help prevent serious influenza complications.

What is the influenza?

Flu (also chosen flu) is a virus that tin can crusade serious affliction. Information technology's more just a runny nose and sore pharynx. It'southward really important to protect babies and immature children from the influenza because information technology can make them very ill. In rare cases, flu can cause death. In 2017, the flu caused a tape number of deaths in children. Most of the children who died didn't become a influenza vaccine.

How does the flu spread?

The flu spreads easily from person to person. When someone with the influenza coughs, sneezes or speaks, the virus spreads through the air. Your baby tin can get infected with the influenza if she breathes the virus in or if she touches something (like a toy) that has the flu virus on it then touches her olfactory organ, eyes or mouth.

People with the flu may be able to infect others from 1 twenty-four hour period before they get sick up to v to 7 days afterwards. People who are very sick with the flu or young children may be able to spread the influenza longer, especially if they nonetheless have symptoms.

Does your child demand a influenza vaccine every year?

Yes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (also called CDC) and the American University of Pediatrics (likewise called AAP) recommend that everyone 6 months and older get the flu vaccine each year. It's peculiarly important for children younger than 5 to go it because they're more likely than older kids to have serious health issues caused past the flu. The influenza tin exist dangerous for all children, even healthy children.

The best manner to protect your kid from the influenza is to make sure he gets a flu vaccine each yr before influenza flavor (October through May). Even though your kid's more than likely to go the influenza during flu season, he can get it any time of year.

There are 2 ways for your child to become the flu vaccine:

1. Flu shot. Children half-dozen months and older can get the flu shot.
2. Influenza nasal spray. This is a spray your kid'due south provider puts in your child's olfactory organ. Most children 2 years or older can become the flu nasal spray. But it's not recommended for children who have sure wellness conditions, similar asthma, heart and lung issues, or a weak immune organisation that doesn't protect him well from infection. The flu nasal spray as well isn't recommended for children who take certain medicines for a long fourth dimension, like aspirin (chosen long-term aspirin therapy).

The first time your baby gets the influenza vaccine, he gets two doses to give him the best protection from the influenza. Your child gets one dose of the vaccine every year after.

If you're not sure which vaccine is best for your child, inquire his health care provider. Visit flu.gov to learn more most flu vaccines.

The influenza vaccine is prophylactic for most children, even babies born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy). Simply if your child had a bad reaction to the flu vaccine in the past, tell his provider. The provider may desire to scout your child closely later getting the vaccine to check for a reaction. If your child is allergic to eggs, talk to his provider to decide if it'southward OK to get the flu vaccine. Some influenza vaccines are fabricated from eggs.

There are many different flu viruses, and they're always changing. Each twelvemonth a new influenza vaccine is fabricated to protect against 3 or four flu viruses that are likely to brand people sick during the upcoming flu season. With the vaccine, protection from the influenza lasts about a year, and so it's important to get your kid vaccinated each year. Yous go the vaccine from his provider or from other places, like pharmacies, that offer it. Use the HealthMap Vaccine Finder to find out where yous can become a influenza vaccine for your child.

Are some children more likely to have serious health bug caused by flu than others?

Yes. Babies and children younger than five years old—and especially those younger than 2 years old-- are more probable than older children to have complications from the flu. Premature babies as well are at increased run a risk of serious complications from flu. The CDC recommends that premature babies go near vaccines, including the flu vaccine, according to their chronological age (the fourth dimension since birth). Even if a baby is born small or with a low birthweight, she can go her vaccine at the same fourth dimension equally other babies who are the same age. If you take a premature baby, talk your baby's provider to brand certain your baby gets the flu vaccine on fourth dimension. Children with chronic health conditions, similar asthma, heart disease or blood disorders, also are at high risk of influenza complications.

What health problems can flu cause in children?

Complications from flu in children younger than 5 years old include:

• Making chronic wellness conditions, similar center disease or asthma, worse
• Brain problems, similar encephalopathy. Encephalopathy is any brain disease that affects the encephalon's construction or how the brain works.
• Dehydration. This ways not having enough water in your body.
• Pneumonia. This is an infection in i or both lungs.
• Sinus issues and ear infections. Sinuses are hollow air spaces within the bones around the olfactory organ. Sinus infections can happen when fluid builds upwardly in the sinuses.
• Death. Flu complications can sometimes atomic number 82 to death, merely this is rare.

What are signs and symptoms that your baby has the flu?

Signs of a condition are things someone else tin see or know nearly y'all, like you have a rash or yous're coughing. Symptoms are things you experience yourself that others tin can't encounter, like having a sore throat or feeling dizzy. If your baby has any of these signs and symptoms of the flu, call his health care provider right away or take him to see his provider:

• Being very tired or sleepy (also called fatigue)
• Coughing
• Fever (100 F or above), chills or torso shakes. Not everyone who has the flu has a fever.
• Headache, or muscle or trunk aches
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Sore pharynx
• Vomiting (throwing up) or diarrhea

The flu frequently comes on quickly.  Fever and most other signs and symptoms can last a calendar week or longer. While your infant can't tell you how she's feeling, babies who take the flu often are sicker, fussier and seem more uncomfortable and unhappy than babies with a common common cold. If you call up your baby has the flu even if she got a flu vaccine, call her wellness care provider.

If your baby has any of these signs or symptoms, accept her to a hospital emergency room:

• Being and then fussy that she doesn't want to be held
• Bluish color of lips or face
• Chronic health weather condition, like asthma, get worse
• Fast animate, problem breathing, chest pain or ribs pulling in with each breath
• Fever in a infant younger than 12 weeks old, fever to a higher place 104 F in older babies or children, or fever with a rash
• Fever or coughing that gets better simply then returns and gets worse
• Having seizures. A seizure is when the whole body or parts of the body motion without control.
• Non drinking plenty fluids or non making as much urine as she normally does. If your baby doesn't make urine for 8 hours, has a dry mouth or doesn't brand tears when crying, she may be dehydrated.
• Non waking upwards, or non being warning or interacting with you when she is awake
• Severe muscle pain. It may be then severe your kid can't walk.
• Vomiting (throwing upwards) that'due south severe or doesn't finish

How is flu treated in babies and children?

Your babe's provider may prescribe an antiviral medicine to prevent or treat the flu. An antiviral is a medicine that kills infections acquired past viruses. Antivirals tin brand your baby's influenza milder and help your baby feel better faster. Antivirals as well tin can help preclude serious flu complications, similar a lung infection called pneumonia. For flu, antivirals piece of work best if used within 2 days of having signs or symptoms.

If your babe is at high chance for influenza, his provider may prescribe an antiviral every bit soon every bit he begins to have flu symptoms. All children younger than 5 are at high risk for flu, especially children younger than 2. Children who were built-in prematurely  or who take chronic health atmospheric condition, like asthma or sickle cell disease, too are at high risk.

Three medicines are approved in the United States for preventing or treating the flu in children:

1. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) for children equally young every bit two weeks.  This medicine comes every bit a capsule or liquid.
2. Zanamivir (Relenza®) for children at least v years old.  This medicine is a pulverization that your child breathes in by mouth. It isn't recommended for people with breathing problems, like asthma.
3. Peramivir (Rapivab®) for children at least ii years old. This medicine is given through a needle into a vein (also called IV) by a wellness intendance provider.

If your kid has the flu, assistance him get lots of remainder and beverage plenty of fluids. He may not want to eat much. Try giving him pocket-size meals to aid his torso go ameliorate.

If your baby seems uncomfortable from a fever, ask her provider if you can give her infant's or children'southward acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Motrin® or Advil®). Don't give her aspirin without checking with her health care provider. Aspirin can cause a rare but life-threatening liver disorder called Reye syndrome in children with sure illnesses, such as colds, the flu and chickenpox.

If your infant has a coughing or a cold, don't give her over-the-counter coughing and common cold medicine. These are medicines you can buy without a prescription from a health care provider. AAP says these medicines can crusade serious health bug for children. Talk to your baby's provider earlier you lot give your baby any kind of medicine.

How can you stop the flu from spreading?

Everyone half-dozen months and older needs to get a flu vaccine. This means you, especially if you have or take care of a baby younger than half dozen months. Getting a flu vaccine tin help go along yous from spreading the influenza.

If y'all or your child has the flu, you can spread it to others. Here's how to help prevent the flu from spreading:

• Continue your child home from day care, school or camp for at least 24 hours after her fever (100 F or higher) is gone. The fever should be gone without using a medicine that lowers fever.
• Avoid contact with other people.
• Don't kiss your baby and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Teach your child to coughing or sneeze into a tissue or his arm. Throw used tissues in the trash.
• Wash your hands with soap and water earlier and after caring for your infant. You also can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Use plenty hand sanitizer and then that it takes at least fifteen seconds for your hands to dry out.
• Clean surfaces and toys that may take the flu virus on them.
• Use hot, soapy water or a dishwasher to clean your baby's dishes and utensils.
• Don't share whatsoever of your baby's dishes, spectacles, utensils or his toothbrush.

More than data

Flu.gov

See also: Flu and pregnancy, Your baby's vaccinations

Last reviewed: September, 2019

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Source: https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/influenza-and-your-baby.aspx

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