Last month due to a change in weather my entire family came down with a viral infection. Unlike others countless times, this time the symptoms were so severe that everyone was bedridden for two days.
Due to this infection, my little one missed his exams even after having taken his medication. I had to have a chat with his pediatrician to understand why the symptoms were severe.
Don’t confuse between the common cold and the flu
My pediatrician told me that the severity of the fever indicated that it was the flu, which is different from a common cold. These are two different illnesses.
Unlike the common cold, individuals suffering from the flu have a high fever, runny nose, headache, sore throat, and body ache. If you’re not sure what your child’s symptoms point towards, you should consult a pediatrician.
Can a change in the weather in India bring on the flu?
My pediatrician told me that’s because the change in weather is a very good conductor for viruses to survive and sustain in this environment. That’s why it mostly occurs during the winter season.
Who is more at risk?
Flu is spread by close contact. It’s the children who are the first sufferers. Children in the age group of 5-8 yrs are at the most risk of contracting severe diseases.
More than 25% of infection in individuals, especially in children, is caused by the type-b influenza virus. (4)
What are the preventive measures?
My pediatrician told me that parents should follow some guidelines to prevent the flu;
- Good nutrition with a balanced diet, adequate amounts of fluid, adequate sleep, etc.
- Teaching children “cough etiquette”, that is, using a handkerchief over the nose and mouth while coughing and sneezing. Children should be instructed to wash their hands properly and regularly with soap and sanitize them with hand sanitizers. do not send your child to school in the event of infection and avoid going to crowded places like the cinema hall, malls, etc.
- If your child has a fever, it is advisable to administer paracetamol, and in the case of a blocked nose, saline nasal drops. Antibiotics are advised only if they have secondary illnesses like bacterial infections (pneumonia). Since the flu is a viral disease, antibiotics are not recommended.
- Lastly, give your child yearly flu shots.
How does a vaccine help?
After the flu, a child is more at risk of getting an infection from other sub-types of the influenza virus. So once the child recovers from the flu, the vaccine for flu can be given.
Indian Academy of Pediatrics recommends an annual flu vaccine to all children from 6 months to 5 years. (3)
Is it necessary to get vaccinated every year?
The effect of the vaccine lasts 1 year. But the influenza virus changes its structure every year, hence the current year vaccination will not provide protection in the subsequent year. So it’s necessary to get a fresh vaccine shot every year.
What types of vaccines are available and when is the best time to get vaccinated?
Two types of vaccines – (trivalent and quadrivalent) are available for the southern and northern hemisphere influenza seasons(1).
From which age should the flu vaccine be given?
This vaccine is given from the age of 6 months onwards. For children between 6 months-8 yrs in two doses one month apart for the first time. Children above 9 years are advised to get one shot of the flu vaccine yearly. (2)
Are there any side effects?
These vaccines are very well tolerated by all age groups.
Where is this vaccine available in India?
The vaccine is given by doctors. For more details, one can contact the pediatrician.
#IPromiseToStopFlu. And you?
References: https://www.who.int/influenza/vaccines/tropics/vaccination_formulation/en/ https://www.who.int/influenza/vaccines/use/en/ https://www.indianpediatrics.net/dec2018/1066.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3278149/ Disclaimer & Disclosure: The views expressed in the blog content are independent and unbiased views of solely the blogger/ third party. One should consult their healthcare provider for any health-related information.
Great n useful post ??
Aapne kitne acche se samjhaya ?
Accha hai ki mostly sabhi vaccine easily available hain aur sab aware bhi hain aur aap sab logo ko awareness bhi spread kar rahy hain ??
So proud of u
I must thank you for writing this incredibly detailed and informative post about the flu vaccine.
Prevention is always better than cure. So why let your kid bear the discomfort and suffering from flu when the flu vaccine is available.
Very well written blog with sub topics explained properly . I’m a blogger too. Do take a look at my blog too. Following you for future posts.
Very useful tips, especially at this time of the year. Kids get easily infected. Yes, vaccination is so necessary. I’ll share this to my new mom colleagues.
Vaccinations are neccsary for kids having week immunity , other than that good diet and preventative measure helps.
Okay, thank you for sharing this ,as myself itself is going through viral flu and same is the case with my kids.
Looking forward to get flu vaccine.
My son received flu vaccination last week. It is so important to update vaccinations on time. Thanks for sharing the difference between common cold and flu.
I agree diet plays such an important role in boosting immunity in kids and adults. I always make sure my baby eats well in this season.
We often ignore flu and do little to prevent it. I think as parents we should be more aware and get all necessary vacvinations to stop us suffer from flu.
Oh I am very sensitive when it comes to cold and flu AND recently got bad flu. This post is really helpful.
A great post and a must read for every parent. It clears my about about the virus and precautions I can take. Will be talking to my ped and asking for a shot for baby R
These are some good tips and measures to prevent flu. The occurrence of flu is increasing every year, we need to share and make people aware about it.
This is such a common problem and I think we all suffer from it, young and old. Good tips which will help to keep it at bay and manage
This is such an informative post. People often confuse between the two and take things so lightly. It’s essential to detect flu and vommoc cold timely for better treatment.
Your posts are very informative. It’s so helpful ti understand how can we avoid flu for our kids.
Yes flu symptoms and common cold symptoms often confusing. Thanks a lot for explaining everything about it, in details. Indeed flu vaccine is good to protect our kids from this infection.
This is such a helpful post. People often get confuse common cold and flu since the symptoms aren’t known well. Vaccination is a good way for protection against flu.
Yes, people mostly confuse cold and flu and often this harms kids. It’s important that we become more aware, get our kids vaccinated.
Very Informative and useful post Dr Bushra. I agree flu shots are the preventive measure to avoid flu.
It is tough to differentiate flu and cold for novice parents. Also, I was unaware that we need flu shots every year. Thanks for spreading awareness with the post.
Such an important post it is thank you for sharing so many vital details buddy
Aah so now I understand why we get colds in winter. And your post was quite an eye opener Bushra.
Yes with raise in continuous change of environment, we need to be prepared and vaccination is best practice to do so.
This is a very important post as occurance of flu is increasing day after day. These are some very good measures about which I have become aware of through the post.
This season, what we have noticed is that it has been season of fever mostly dengue in this part of the country but among kids it has been flu. It is good that doctors like you keep posting about how to fight it.
Another informative and good post! definitely the occurrence is on the rise and i am sharing this article with my sister has kids keep falling in repeatedly in the season.
Vaccination is so important these days. The climate change is already doing a lot of harm to our surrounding and the people around us. Cold and flu are often mistaken and taken very lightly. Thank you for throwing some light on these topics 🙂
Thanks for sharing this ,so informative,about how can we avoid the flu in kids