My Child Has the Flu! What Do I Do?

As a mother and a microbiology teacher, I have been dreading the approach of this year's double-barrel flu season. Then my son came down with the flu.The following is a description of his illness and care, with tips for what you should do if a family member develops symptoms of influenza.

This year's influenza threat is especially dangerous because there are two distinct and dangerous stains of influenza A; seasonal influenza and H1N1 swine flu.

Seasonal flu is caused by an influenza A virus that's been around for a while, but still kills more than 36,000 annually in the US-mainly the very old, very young and immune compromised.

Novel H1N1 swine flu is a new strain of the H1N1 influenza A virus that has made the jump from animals to humans. This virus is especially dangerous, because the human immune system has no experience battling it. Like pandemic flu outbreaks of the past, and unlike seasonal influenza, those at highest risk from the novel H1N1 virus are the young; children and young adults.

What If a Member of Your Family Gets the Flu?

In early October, my asthmatic son Leo, who is in a very high risk category for both types of influenza, developed flu-like symptoms. It takes two weeks for a vaccination to stimulate immunity, and he had been vaccinated for seasonal influenza a little over a week before becoming ill. Leo is four years old, and like most young children, his influenza symptoms were high fever and lethargy. He was a red hot lump and I was scared. With so much concern over the dangers of swine flu, what should a parent do if their child gets sick?

Contact Your Doctor Immediately: We called our doctor as soon as Leo showed symptoms, and the practice squeezed my son in right away. Leo's asthma means that every sniffle turn into bronchitis, antibiotics, and nebulizer treatments, so his doctor responded quickly.

Don't Expect a Flu Test: Our physician did not test Leo for H1N1 or even for influenza. My son's treatment was based on his symptoms; keep the fever down with ibuprofen or acetaminophen, offer lots of fluids, and, due to the asthma and bronchitis, our doctor prescribed antibiotics for the bacterial infection and albuterol by nebulizer to reduce lung inflammation. Flu tests are typically only used in cases when identifying the specific infectious agent will make a difference in the treatment course. In this case, it did not.

Don't Expect Antiviral Medication: My son was not prescribed Tamiflu, or any antiviral medication. Tamiflu is indicated for acute symptoms of influenza, and like antibiotics, its over-prescription could result in resistant strains of H1N1. I trust my doctor and his understanding of my son's overall health; so I did not oppose his decision.

Influenza Care Short List:

• Immediately contact your physician, and follow the doctor's instructions.
• Those with a fever should not go to work or school until fever-free, without the use of fever-reducing medications, for at least 24 hours.
• Manage high fever with a fever reducing medication.
• Make sure patient gets sufficient fluids.
• Immediately contact your health care provider if someone with the flu has labored breathing.
• Stay informed by regularly checking the US Department of Health and Human Services or CDC's flu web pages.
• Get flu vaccinations once healthy (If you don't know which type of flu you had, you can still be vulnerable).

After the Flu
My son was sick with influenza for less than a week, and, thankfully, his recovery was uneventful. Now we all have colds (*Sigh*). This promises to be one heck of a cold and flu season.

Source

US Department of Health and Human Services, Influenza webpages.

Please note: The information in this article is not to be followed as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your physician or primary health practitioner for information regarding your own personal health and necessary treatments.