By Katie Quayle, M.D., St. Luke’s Clinic – Pediatrics
It’s flu season! Although everyone can get the flu, it can be especially serious for kids less than five years old and kids with underlying health problems, like asthma or heart disease.
The best way to protect kids from the flu is to get them vaccinated.
All kids over six months old, and especially kids with heart disease, asthma, cystic fibrosis or immune suppression, should be vaccinated. I also recommend the vaccine for anyone in contact with kids, and all healthcare/childcare workers. Kids who are less than six months of age are too little to get the vaccine—and these are the children who are especially prone to getting hospitalized and seriously ill with influenza. The best way to protect these infants is to vaccinate everyone around them.
This year, there are two ways to immunize kids against the flu: the shot and the nasal mist. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the flu shot as the primary choice for vaccination this year, but in cases where kids refuse shots or who are extremely afraid of needles, then the flu mist might be a good option. Flu mist can only be given to kids older than two, and it is not recommended for kids with some health conditions, such as asthma. For the shot, kids less than eight years of age will need two doses the first time they are being vaccinated against influenza.
The main side effects of the flu vaccine are localized tenderness, redness, low-grade fever (more common in younger kids), and some nausea/vomiting. The vaccine does NOT cause the flu, and many kids will not have any side effects.
Last year, some of my patients were frustrated that their kids got the flu vaccine and still contracted influenza during the winter. The bad news is that this sometimes does happen, but studies have shown that for kids who were vaccinated and still got the flu, their course of illness was much less severe than kids who were not vaccinated. Generally, they were less likely to be admitted to the hospital or have severe complications from the illness.
If your child does get the flu, there are some medications to treat it, such as Tamiflu, which is an oral antiviral. It is most effective in the first 48 hours of illness, and can reduce symptoms by about 1.5 days or so. Not everyone needs Tamiflu, and generally we consider treating kids with this medication who are considered to be “high risk” to get very sick from the flu, such as kids with asthma, very young infants, or hospitalized kids.
Many kids with influenza will recover well on their own. However, signs that your child may need to be seen by a doctor include if they are very lethargic, are breathing fast or using extra muscles to breath, are not drinking well or if you are worried about them. We are always happy to see kids in our office for an evaluation, especially if parents are concerned.
Pediatrician Katie Quayle, M.D., cares for children of all ages, from babies through teens. To schedule an appointment, call (208) 788-3434.