Flu Facts
As we head into the flu season, there's lots of talk circulating about the flu and how to recognize, treat and prevent it. But many people remain confused about this common winter illness. Listed below are simple flu facts every parent should know from CHKD pediatric infectious disease specialist Randall Fisher, MD.
What is the flu?
Although many people use the word "flu" to describe non-specific illnesses such as upset stomachs, doctors use the term to describe an infection with the influenza virus. Influenza is a respiratory disease, which means it affects the nose, throat, and lungs. It is highly contagious. The vast majority of people who get influenza recover without treatment in a week or two, but in rare cases the illness can lead to more serious complications, such as pneumonia.
What are the symptoms?
In contrast to the common cold, which comes on gradually, influenza is more severe and tends to start suddenly with headache, fever, chills, cough, muscle aches and extreme fatigue. Younger children may also have diarrhea and stomach pain. The most common symptoms of the flu in children and adults include:
- Fever, usually 102 degrees Fahrenheit, but can go up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit and usually lasts three to four days
- Headache that starts suddenly and can be severe
- Sore throat
- Muscle aches, often severe
- Coughing, which can become severe
- Tiredness and weakness, which can last two or more weeks
- Sneezing
- Runny nose
When should I call the doctor?
The following are general guidelines on when parents should call their health care providers. Parents know their children best and know when their children are not responding to an illness as expected. If parents are ever concerned about their children's health, they should call their health care provider for advice, but especially if the following symptoms are present.
- Call if the child has a high fever that does not respond to over-the-counter fever medications, including acetaminophen or ibuprofen. This could signal a more serious infection. Do not give aspirin to children or adolescents who are sick with flu. Also, the fever of flu usually lasts three to five days. Parents should call their health care provider if their child's fever lasts longer or if it goes away and returns.
- Call if your child is listless or has no interest in playing or other activities, especially after their fever comes down after acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
- Call if your child is inconsolable, that is, irritable and cannot be calmed down.
- Call if your child is not drinking fluids or not keeping fluids down. Poor fluid intake can lead to dehydration, which can be very serious in children. Prolonged diarrhea can also lead to dehydration.
- Call if your child has difficulty breathing, or exhibits fast, hard breathing. If your child is working hard to breathe, your health care provider will need to assess the situation.
If I think my child has the flu, should I take him to the emergency room?
If you suspect your child has the flu, you should call your child's regular doctor before going to an emergency room. Be prepared to tell the nurse at your doctor's office about your child's specific symptoms: exactly what his temperature is, when he got sick and what parts of his body hurt. Does he have a headache or sore throat? Muscle aches? Or just the stuffy nose and scratchy throat of a cold? Does your child have a chronic medical condition, such as asthma?
With this kind of information, the nurse can determine whether or not your child needs a doctor's appointment, and if so, how soon. Children with the flu rarely require prescription medications. In most cases, the best treatment is rest at home, as long as you watch out for the symptoms mentioned above concerning when you need to call the doctor.
If you decide to go to an emergency room rather contacting your child's regular doctor, you could have a lengthy wait. In emergency rooms, children are not seen in the order of arrival. They are seen according to how sick they are. The sickest children are seen first. Since the flu is very rarely a medical emergency, you could have to wait for hours to see a doctor.
There's yet another reason not to use the emergency room as your first option: if your child does have the flu, he or she will be spreading it to others in the waiting room. If your child does not have the flu, the waiting room of a busy emergency center during flu season is a very likely place to catch it. Lengthy wait times and the risk of infection are two good reasons to keep healthy brothers and sisters at home, too.
How is the flu spread?
The disease is more contagious than the common cold because it is spread through very small droplets that can remain suspended in the air. When a person who has the flu coughs, sneezes or speaks and sends flu virus into the air, other people can inhale the virus and get sick. Flu can also be spread when a person touches a surface that has flu viruses on it - a door handle for instance - and then touches his or her nose or mouth.
A person can spread the flu starting one day before he or she feels sick. Adults can continue to pass the flu virus to others for another three to seven days after symptoms start. Children can pass the virus for longer than seven days. That is why it is extremely important to keep children home from school or day care when they are sick.
How can I keep my child healthy during flu season?
Getting an annual flu vaccination in is the best way to prevent the flu, but if you didn't get a shot or the nasal spray vaccine, good basic hygiene can also help with prevention. Keep your children away from anyone you know is sick and, as much as possible, avoid large crowds during the months when influenza activity is high in the community.
In addition, teach children to:
- clean their hands often with soap and water or with an alcohol-based hand cleaner, especially before eating and when they return home from school or other activities that involve lots of people
- avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth
- avoid close contact with people who are sick, if possible
If members of your family get sick, teach them to:
- cover their noses and mouths with tissues every time they cough or sneeze
- sneeze or cough into their elbows, not into their hands, if they don't have a tissue
- after coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose, always clean their hands with soap and water or with an alcohol-based hand cleaner
- not to share eating utensils, drinking glasses, towels or other personal items
Are there any treatments for the flu?
Influenza is caused by a virus, so antibiotics (like penicillin) don't work to cure it. The main treatments are rest, plenty of liquids and medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen to relieve the symptoms of flu. There are anti-viral medications available that can shorten the time a person infected with influenza feels ill by approximately 1 day, if treatment is started during the first 2 days of illness. All of these drugs require a prescription from a doctor.
Are there any treatments to avoid?
Never give aspirin to children or teenagers who have flu-like symptoms - and particularly fever. Giving aspirin to children and teenagers who have influenza can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye syndrome. Children or teenagers with the flu should get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids, and take medicines that contain no aspirin to relieve symptoms.
Parents should also avoid giving their children medications for upset stomachs and/or diarrhea without first checking with their doctor. Many of these products contain salicylates, a chemical cousin of aspirin.