Disclosure : Thank you to Children’s Mercy Wichita for sponsoring this post and for providing quality medical services to our community of moms and their babies.
To help children receive timely care, it’s important for parents to know the difference between a minor cold and a serious case of influenza. This winter, as many as 20 percent of Americans will get the flu. Learn how you can stop this virus before it starts.
Colds run their course in about two weeks. Characterized by sneezing, coughing, sore throat and congestion, these viral infections are not severe.
The flu is a viral infection that causes a fever above 101° F, body aches and exhaustion. Influenza can be particularly dangerous for children—more than 20,000 children younger than age 5 are hospitalized because of flu-related complications every year.
Cold Versus Flu
Ask yourself these questions to determine if it’s a cold or the flu:
• Did it come on fast? Colds often build over a period of weeks, while the flu can develop overnight or during the course of a day. If your child is fine one day and exhausted and feverish the next, it’s probably the flu.
• Is there a high fever? The flu causes a high fever, while a cold may cause a low-grade fever. If your infant has a temperature above 100° F or your child has a temperature above 101°, it’s probably the flu.
• Is there congestion? Colds are often accompanied by upper respiratory problems, such as runny noses and wet-sounding coughs. The flu may cause a dry, hacking cough. If there’s congestion, it’s probably not the flu.
If you suspect your child has the flu, take him to a medical professional right away.
First Line of Defense
Your best bet for fighting the flu is to get a flu vaccine every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone older than 6 months get a flu vaccine. The vaccine is available as a shot for children older than 6 months and as a nose spray for healthy kids older than 2 years.
“If your child hasn’t been immunized, it’s always important to get a flu shot, even if it’s late in the season,” says Christopher Harrison, MD, pediatric infectious disease physician at Children’s Mercy. “We never know how severe influenza will be until we see initial illnesses in children, so it’s always a good idea to get the vaccine as soon as possible.”
To learn more about flu season, visit www.childrensmercy.org/Flu.
Prevention for Young Children
Another way of preventing the spread of influenza, colds and other winter viruses is frequent hand washing. Teach children how to properly wash their hands using soap and water to lather up for at least 20 seconds.
A good habit to teach children is to keep their hands below their shoulders at all times. Germs from the hands can be easily transferred through the eyes, ears, nose and mouth—but if children don’t touch their faces, then germs cannot spread. Kids can also learn how to cough like a superhero: Rather than coughing into the hands, draw your superhero cape across your face and cough into your elbow instead.
Flu Vaccine FAQs
Q. Do antibiotics work against the flu?
A. “The flu is a viral infection, meaning that antibiotics—which are designed to fight against bacterial infections—do not do anything against the flu,” says Christopher Harrison, MD, pediatric infectious disease physician at Children’s Mercy. “However, antiviral medications are available that reduce the duration of the flu and reduce the chance of a secondary infection.”
Q. My child has a chronic illness. Should she get the flu vaccine?
A. “The kids at greatest risk for influenza with additional complications are children with chronic medical conditions,” Dr. Harrison says. “This includes asthma, diabetes and cerebral palsy. Every year, we see children with complex, chronic conditions who have severe flu that could have been easily prevented with a vaccine. The family members who live with these children should also be immunized—you are providing the best protection for these children who are most vulnerable.”
Q. Does the flu vaccine have any side effects?
A. The flu shot can cause soreness for one to two days after immunization, and the nose spray version of the vaccine may cause a stuffy nose. “It can make you feel like you have a fever or give you muscle aches,” Dr. Harrison says. “This is because the vaccine is working, and your body is responding by creating immunity against the flu.”
Q. My son got the flu last year about a week after he got his flu shot. What happened?
A. The flu vaccine takes about two weeks to start working, so it’s possible to catch the flu after getting vaccinated but before becoming fully immunized. This is one of the reasons it’s extremely important to get a flu vaccine as early as possible.
The Children’s Mercy Wichita Specialty Clinic provides a convenient location to better serve Wichita area families and patients with the best pediatric subspecialty care possible.
The clinic is located near the campus of Wesley Medical Center and houses Children’s Mercy pediatric subspecialists including: cardiology, endocrinology/diabetes, hematology/oncology, nephrology and plastic surgery. Our team helps provide health care to thousands of Kansas kids each year. And there is no greater source of inspiration than the patient and families we serve every day.
To learn more visit childrensmercy.org/Wichita
