Keeping Children Healthy This Flu Season
This month we welcome Laura Scott as a guest author. Scott is a co-founder and executive director of Families Fighting Flu (FFF), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to informing the public about the severity of influenza, as well as increasing vaccination rates to reduce the number of hospital visits and deaths caused by this vaccine-preventable disease. Scott is also a public speaker and advocate for families who have lost a child due to influenza.
Parents want to keep their children healthy and ensure they institute good habits into their everyday routine, such as brushing teeth twice a day, getting exercise and eating enough fruits and veggies. Taking preventive measures — like getting an annual flu vaccine — to help guard against different types of infections (some potentially deadly) is also critical in order to stay healthy. This very important habit should not be overlooked!
Influenza, or the “flu,” is a serious and highly contagious disease that is often confused with the common cold. Symptoms tend to develop quickly (usually one to four days after a person is exposed to the virus) and can be more severe than the normal cough and congestion of a cold. In fact, the flu can lead to serious and even fatal complications, particularly in children. Each year more than 20,000 children are hospitalized due to flu and tragically, most years, more than 100 children die from the disease.
As executive director of the national, non-profit organization Families Fighting Flu, I hear all too often that “it’s just the flu” or “we’re healthy, we don’t need to get the flu vaccine.” But, our organization, comprised mainly of families who have either lost a child to the flu or whose child became seriously ill due to the disease, understands the potential risks all too well. We are committed to educating others about the importance of annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months of age and older, as per guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through our educational initiatives, we share our unique, first-hand perspectives about the devastating losses of our children — a 15-month old toddler, a 4-year old ballerina, a 17-year-old high school basketball player — in the hopes that we can prevent others from experiencing such tragic loss.
Martin’s story
Martin was an energetic, healthy 15-year old from Nazareth, PA, who loved baseball. He wasn’t feeling well one day, but insisted on trying out for the high school baseball team. When he got home that evening he complained of leg pain from running during tryouts, and then in the middle of the night, began vomiting and developed a 102 degree fever. His parents rushed him to the emergency room to find out that Martin tested positive for influenza. Additionally, Martin developed a condition called Compartment Syndrome, which limited his blood circulation and caused severe pain in his legs. The running he did the day before during tryouts escalated the condition. Martin was rushed into surgery, but tragically, his heart stopped beating, and he died from complications of the flu. His mom, Diane, reflects: “Martin was a healthy and active boy who loved baseball, but he wasn’t vaccinated against the flu. I urge all parents to take the one, simple step of getting your entire family vaccinated. It could literally save a life.”
“We all know the flu does not discriminate. According to the CDC, between 2004 and 2012, 43 percent of United States children who died from the flu were perfectly healthy beforehand,” notes Adrienne Randolph, MD, MSc, founding chair of the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigator’s (PALISI) Network, director of the RSV and Asthma Research Study Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Families Fighting Flu medical advisor. “The flu vaccine is safe and effective, and is the single best way to protect yourself and your family from the flu.”
Keeping your family healthy
It is not too late to get vaccinated this season. The flu virus tends to spread from October to May, with most cases occurring in January or February. However, vaccinations can be given at any time during flu season — even getting a vaccination later in the season (December through March) can still help protect you from influenza.
Following these tips can prevent the spread of germs and help keep your family healthy during flu season:
- Get vaccinated against the flu.
- Wash your hands frequently.
- Stay home if you don’t feel well.
- Cough into elbows, not hands.
Staying healthy should be a priority, and at this time of the year, an influenza vaccine should be at the top of your list. Protect yourself and your family … please get your flu vaccine every year.
Visit FamiliesFightingFlu.org
Each year, Families Fighting Flu works to provide information about the importance of flu vaccination. You can find the following resources on their website:
- A flu clinic locator to find the nearest place to get the influenza vaccine
- A toolkit to educate people about the importance of flu prevention
- An archived recording of a recent webinar with Dr. William Schaffner, immediate past-president of the National Foundation for Infectious Disease, who shared the latest information about flu prevention
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- Vaccine Education Center