Flu Season is here!! Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. Antibiotics will not help. It spreads between people easily and can cause mild to severe illness.
Most people who get the flu feel much better within one or two weeks. Most healthy adults can infect others one day before symptoms develop and five to seven days after symptoms appear. Some people, especially young children and people with weakened immune systems, might be contagious for a longer period. Severe flu-related complications are most common in children younger than 2. Children with chronic health conditions such as asthma and diabetes have an extremely high risk of developing serious flu related complications.
• Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu can hit hard and fast and include fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, 38.0 degrees Celsius or higher), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
• Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever and have stopped taking medication, including Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen), for fever or flu symptoms. This will require students to stay home for at least 3-5 days. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
• Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home. The only way to keep the class healthy is to try to reduce the number of sick children at school spreading the germs. Please be considerate of the other children and families in the class. It is not just the child but the family unit that may be affected. We don't know who may have young babies, elderly, medically fragile, or immunocompromised people in the household and a seemingly harmless virus to most people may mean serious illness and hospitalization for them.
• Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Get your child vaccinated against seasonal influenza—it is not too late to get the vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that young people are more susceptible to flu. If you get the flu vaccine, you are 60% less likely to need treatment for the flu by a healthcare provider.
Below is a link to a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta assessment tool for parents to help you to decide when your child needs to be seen by a physician:
http://www.choa.org/Child-Wellness/Child-Wellness-Prevention/~/media/CHOA/Documents/Wellness/flu_assessment_for_parents_final.pdf
Please contact me with any questions you might have about the school’s wellness policy and please contact your family physician with any concerns about your child’s health.
Flu Season is here!! Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. Antibiotics will not help. It spreads between people easily and can cause mild to severe illness.
Most people who get the flu feel much better within one or two weeks. Most healthy adults can infect others one day before symptoms develop and five to seven days after symptoms appear. Some people, especially young children and people with weakened immune systems, might be contagious for a longer period. Severe flu-related complications are most common in children younger than 2. Children with chronic health conditions such as asthma and diabetes have an extremely high risk of developing serious flu related complications.
• Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu can hit hard and fast and include fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, 38.0 degrees Celsius or higher), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
• Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever and have stopped taking medication, including Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen), for fever or flu symptoms. This will require students to stay home for at least 3-5 days. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
• Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home. The only way to keep the class healthy is to try to reduce the number of sick children at school spreading the germs. Please be considerate of the other children and families in the class. It is not just the child but the family unit that may be affected. We don't know who may have young babies, elderly, medically fragile, or immunocompromised people in the household and a seemingly harmless virus to most people may mean serious illness and hospitalization for them.
• Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Get your child vaccinated against seasonal influenza—it is not too late to get the vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that young people are more susceptible to flu. If you get the flu vaccine, you are 60% less likely to need treatment for the flu by a healthcare provider.
Below is a link to a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta assessment tool for parents to help you to decide when your child needs to be seen by a physician:
http://www.choa.org/Child-Wellness/Child-Wellness-Prevention/~/media/CHOA/Documents/Wellness/flu_assessment_for_parents_final.pdf
Please contact me with any questions you might have about the school’s wellness policy and please contact your family physician with any concerns about your child’s health.
