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Protecting Your Kids from the Flu

By Vincent Iannelli, M.D.

After last year’s difficult flu season, with the flu shot shortages, early start to the flu season, and heavy media attention, everyone was hoping for a quite flu season this year.

Unfortunately, it is already getting off to a rough start. Even before the flu season started, the announcement came that half of the flu supply to the United States would be unavailable. New recommendations for flu shots from the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices soon followed, with priority going to those most at risk and others being asked to ‘forego or defer vaccination’ this year.

Do Your Kids Need a Flu Shot This Year?

Unlike previous years, when it was recommended that you should get your children a flu shot if you simply wanted to decrease their chances of getting the flu, it is recommended that only those children who are most at risk get a flu shot this year.

This includes:

- All children between the ages of 6 and 23 months (a new recommendation this year)
- All children over age 2 years with chronic medical problems, like asthma, diabetes, or immune system problems, etc.
- All children over age 2 years on chronic aspirin therapy, like for Kawasaki disease (because these children are at risk for Reye syndrome)
- All children who have a sibling who is under 6 months of age

Remember that your child should not get a flu shot if they have a severe allergy to hens’ eggs, if they are under 6 months old, or if they had a previous serious reaction to a flu vaccine.

Alternatives to Flu Shots

The one big alternative to a flu shot is FluMist, the flu vaccine nasal spray. Unlike the flu shot, it is a live vaccine and can only be given to healthy persons between the ages of 5 and 49 years. Although it is a little more expensive than a flu shot and there are estimated to be only 1.1 million doses available this year, it may be a good option for your older, healthy child if you can’t get them a flu shot, especially if your main concern is having a younger sibling under six months old at home.

There are also antiviral medications available to help prevent the flu. These include amantadine, rimantadine, and oseltamivir. If your child is exposed to someone with the flu and has not had a flu vaccine, your Pediatrician might consider using one of these medicines to prevent your child from getting sick.

Avoiding the Flu

Of course, your children can avoid getting sick with the flu if they avoid other people who may have the flu. This isn’t usually possible though, especially if your child is in daycare or already in school, but you should try and avoid large groups of people with your newborn and younger infant when it isn’t necessary.

You can also help your child avoid the flu if they:

- Frequently wash their hands with soap and water or an alcohol based cleanser
- Cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze, and have them use a tissue or their sleeve, instead of their hands
- Avoid rubbing their nose or eyes or putting things in their mouths, such as their fingers, hands, pencils, etc.

Flu Treatments

If your child does get the flu, in addition to symptomatic treatments that your Pediatrician may recommend, like an age appropriate pain and fever reducer, cold and cough medicine, and extra fluids, your child may benefit from specific flu treatments. These include flu medicines like amantadine, rimantadine, zanamivir, and oseltamivir, which can reduce flu symptoms and shorten the amount of time that your child is sick by 1 or 2 days. They must be started within 2 days of your child getting sick though, and your Pediatrician will likely want to do a flu test to make sure that your child really has the flu. There is some concern that using these flu medicines can lead to resistance and that they may not work in the future if we keep using them so much though. This Year’s Flu Season

It would be easy to start panicking when you hear about flu shortages, but keep in mind that there will still be 54 million doses of flu shots available this year. With all of the extra media attention right now, if every one at high risk gets vaccinated early, especially younger children, maybe it will keep the flu from spreading and this season from ever getting really started...

For more information:

- CDC Flu Information - Kids and the Flu

© Vincent Iannelli, M.D., 2004-
Vincent Iannelli, MD is a board certified Pediatrician and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In addition to having a private practice and serving as an associate professor of Pediatrics at Southwestern Medical School, he publishes the websites keepkidshealthy.com and www.pediatrics.about.com. His first book, The Everything Father's First Year, will be released early next year. Dr. Iannelli has been featured in national print and is a member of the Texas Medical Association and the Dallas County Medical Society. He lives with his family near Dallas, Texas.

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Protecting Your Kids from the Flu