Protect your child from the flu

What Can I Do to Keep My Child from Getting the Flu? How to avoid the flu this season.

You might be worried about your child getting the flu, and you should be. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu is more dangerous to your child than a cold, but now you have some help. The caring pediatricians at Mundelein Pediatrics in Grayslake, Illinois are experts in helping you care for your child before, during and after flu season.

Your child is never too young to get the flu. Severe flu complications are most common in children younger than two; in fact, the CDC has stated that each year about 20,000 children under five are hospitalized from the flu. Also, the CDC reports that 140 flu-related deaths in children occurred during the last flu season. If your child has chronic issues like asthma and diabetes they are at high risk for serious flu complications.

The CDC strongly recommends every child 6 months and older be vaccinated each flu season. It’s the single most important thing you can do to protect your child from the flu. There are currently two ways to administer the flu vaccine to your child, as an injection or a nasal spray. The professionals at Mundelein Pediatrics will know which your child needs.

• Prevention for the flu should start at home, by teaching your children to:
• Wash their hands often with soap and warm water, or use hand sanitizer containing alcohol
• Throw used tissue in the garbage
• Don’t share personal items like toothbrushes and eating utensils
• Avoid touching their mouth, nose or eyes
• Cover their mouth and nose when they sneeze or cough

As a parent, you need to wash dishes in hot water or the dishwasher and wipe down anything your child handles with a disinfectant wipe. Be sure to toss their toothbrush and get a new one after they’ve been sick.

You need to protect your child from getting the flu, so don’t delay. Bring your child in for a visit with the pediatricians at Mundelein Pediatrics in Grayslake, Illinois. You need a partner in keeping your child safe from sickness, so call today!