Just Got a Flu Shot Can I Hold a Baby

• Children Younger Than 6 Months Sometime at Highest Risk
• Advice on How to Fight Flu for Caregivers of Children Younger than 5 Years One-time
• Advice If You Are Sick with Flu and Care for Children Younger than 5 Years Old

Children younger than five years sometime– especially those younger than 2– are at college chance of developing serious flu-related complications. CDC estimates that from the 2010-2011 season to the 2019-2020 season , flu-related hospitalizations amidst children younger than 5 years ranged from vii,000 to 26,000 in the United States. Many more have to go to a md, an urgent intendance eye, or the emergency room because of flu.

Complications from flu among children can include:

• pneumonia (an illness where the lungs get infected and inflamed),
• dehydration (when a child'due south body loses too much h2o and salts, often because fluid losses are greater than fluid intake),
• worsening of long-term medical issues like heart disease or asthma,
• brain dysfunction,
• sinus problems, and ear infections.

In rare cases, influenza complications can atomic number 82 to decease.

Children Younger Than half dozen Months Sometime at Highest Gamble

Children younger than 6 months old have the highest take a chance for being hospitalized from influenza compared to children of other ages simply are too young to get a influenza vaccine. Because flu vaccines are non canonical for employ in children younger than 6 months old, protecting them from influenza is especially important.

Advice on How to Fight Flu for Caregivers of Children Younger than 5 Years Old

1. Have Fourth dimension to Go a Vaccine
   • A yearly influenza vaccine is the first and all-time style to protect against flu.
   • Flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the run a risk of flu affliction, hospitalization and death in children.
   • If the child you treat is half-dozen months or older, they should get a influenza vaccine each year.
   • Every bit a caregiver to a young kid, you should go a flu vaccine, and make sure that other caregivers and all household members anile 6 months and older also get vaccinated each yr. By getting vaccinated, you will be less likely to get flu and therefore less likely to spread flu to the child.
2. Accept Everyday Preventive Actions
   • Keep yourself and the child in your care away from people who are sick as much as you lot can.
   • If you lot get flu symptoms, avert contact with other people when possible, including the child in your care. Consider arranging for some other caregiver to treat the child if possible, and so that you don't make them sick.
   • Embrace your nose and mouth with a tissue when y'all cough or sneeze—throw the tissue away afterwards you use information technology and wash your hands.
   • Wash your easily often with lather and water, specially after you coughing or sneeze. If you are non near water, utilize an booze-based paw cleaner.
   • Attempt not to touch on your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs frequently spread this fashion.
   • Clean and disinfect often touched surfaces, especially when someone is ill.
3. Have Antiviral Drugs to Treat Flu Illness if Your Doctor Prescribes Them
   • Antiviral drugs are available to care for flu in children and adults.
   • Antiviral drugs tin make illness milder and shorten illness duration. They also may prevent serious flu complications.
   • Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics that treat bacterial infections. They are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaled pulverization) that are for treatment of influenza.
   • Antiviral drugs work best when treatment is started within 2 days of becoming sick with flu, just starting them later on tin can notwithstanding be helpful, specially if the sick person is very sick with flu or is at higher risk of serious flu complications. Follow your doc's instructions for taking or giving these drugs.
   • Treating people who are very sick with flu or who are at higher risk of flu complications with antiviral drugs can hateful the deviation between having a milder disease versus a very serious illness that could result in a hospital stay.
   • CDC recommends that people at higher risk of serious influenza complications, including young children, should be treated with influenza antiviral drugs every bit soon every bit possible if they get ill with flu.
     • Although all children younger than 5 years old are considered at college risk for complications from flu, the highest adventure is for those younger than 2 years former, with the highest hospitalization and death rates amidst infants younger than half-dozen months old.

Communication If You lot Are Sick with Flu and Care for Children Younger than five Years Onetime

Flu may cause fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Young children also may take airsickness or diarrhea with flu symptoms. It's of import to notation that some people with flu may not have a fever. If you alive with or care for a young kid and you get flu symptoms, follow the precautions below to help prevent the spread of disease to the child or children in your care.

1. Remember How Flu Spreads
   • Flu viruses are idea to spread mainly by aerosol made when people with flu coughing, sneeze or talk. These droplets tin land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby. People with influenza can spread it to others upward to about 6 feet away. Less often, a person might get flu by touching a surface or object that has influenza virus on information technology and and so touching his or her ain rima oris, nose, or possibly their eyes.
2. Follow These Steps
   • Call your health intendance professional person if you lot develop flu symptoms; they may prescribe antiviral drugs for influenza, depending on factors including your age and overall health and the historic period and overall wellness of your young child or children.
   • Attempt to minimize contact with the kid in your care equally much as possible, specially if the child in your care is younger than two years onetime or is an older kid with a chronic medical condition. They are very vulnerable to influenza.
   • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when sneezing or coughing, and put your used tissue in a wastebasket, and wash your hands.
   • Before engaging in any activity within nigh 6 feet of the child in your care (including feeding, changing, rocking, reading to your kid) thoroughly wash and dry out your easily. See more information about preventing the spread of seasonal flu.
3. Be Watchful to Encounter If Your Child Gets Sick Too
   • Discover the child or children in your care closely for signs and symptoms of respiratory disease. If your child develops a fever* (or feels feverish with chills), coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy olfactory organ, muscle or body aches, headache, fatigue, or vomiting and/or diarrhea—contact your child's health care provider.
   • Flu antiviral drugs can be used to treat flu and are approved for use in children. These drugs are most beneficial when antiviral treatment is started as soon as possible after the illness starts, so it's of import to contact your child'south health care provider as soon every bit they accept flu symptoms.
   • If your child shows whatsoever Emergency Warning Signs of flu, seek medical care immediately.

Footnote

* Many authorities use either 100 (37.8 degrees Celsius) or 100.4 F (38.0 degrees Celsius) every bit a cut-off for fever, merely this number can vary depending on factors such as the method of measurement and the age of the person

Just Got a Flu Shot Can I Hold a Baby

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/highrisk/infantcare.htm

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