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My Child Has:
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Influenza (Flu)
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| Michael Shannon, MD, MPH |
View an interview with Michael Shannon, MD, MPH on the dangers of cold medications and learn how parents can safely treat their child with a cold.
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Influenza (or flu) is a highly contagious viral infection and is one of the most severe illnesses of the winter season. An estimated 5 to 20 percent of the population in the US contract influenza each year.
Influenza is a viral infection of the upper respiratory system, which includes the nose, bronchial tubes, and lungs. Influenza is characterized by the following:
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- fever
- muscle aches
- sore throat
- nonproductive cough
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Influenza can make people of any age ill. Although most people and children are ill with influenza for only a few days, some have a much more serious illness and may need to be hospitalized. Influenza may also lead to pneumonia and/or death.
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Influenza viruses are divided into three types designated as A, B, and C.
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- Influenza types A and B are responsible for epidemics of respiratory illness that occur almost every winter and are often associated with increased rates of hospitalization and death. Efforts to control the impact of influenza are focused on types A and B. One of the reasons the flu remains a problem is because the viruses actually alter their structure, exposing adults and children to new types of the virus each time.
- Influenza type C usually causes either a very mild respiratory illness or no symptoms at all. It does not cause epidemics and does not have the severe public health impact that influenza types A and B do.
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Influenza viruses continually mutate or change, which enables the virus to evade the immune system of a child. People are susceptible to influenza infection throughout their lives. The process works as follows:
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- A person infected with influenza virus develops antibody against that virus.
- The virus mutates or changes.
- The "older" antibody no longer recognizes the "newer" virus.
- Reinfection occurs.
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The older antibody can, however, provide partial protection against reinfection. Currently, three different influenza viruses circulate worldwide: two type A viruses and one type B. Immunizations given each year to protect against the flu contain the influenza virus strain from each type that is expected to cause the flu within that year.
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An influenza virus is generally passed from person-to-person by airborne transmission. This means your child can contract the flu by coming in contact with airborne viruses from an affected person by way of sneezing and coughing. The virus can also live for a short time on objects such as doorknobs, pens/pencils, keyboards, telephone receivers, and eating or drinking utensils, for example. Therefore, it may also be spread when your child touches something that has been handled by someone infected with the virus and then your child touches his/her own mouth, nose, or eyes.
People are generally the most contagious with the flu 24 hours before they start having symptoms and during the time they have the most symptoms. That is why it is hard to prevent the spread of the flu, especially among children, because they do not always know they are sick while they are still spreading the disease. The risk of infecting others usually stops around the seventh day of the infection.
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The following are the most common symptoms of the flu. However, each child may experience symptoms differently.
Influenza is called a respiratory disease, but the whole body seems to suffer when a child has it. Children usually become suddenly ill with any, or all, of the following symptoms:
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- fever, which may be as high as 103 degrees F to 105 degrees F
- aches and pains
- not feeling well "all over"
- headache
- cough that is nonproductive
- sore throat
- stuffy nose or clear nose
- worsening cough
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- fatigue
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Most people recover from influenza within a week, but may be left feeling exhausted for as long as three to four weeks.
The symptoms of influenza may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Always consult your child's physician for a diagnosis.
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A cold and the flu (influenza) are two different illnesses. A cold is relatively harmless and usually clears up by itself after a period of time, although sometimes it may lead to a secondary infection, such as an ear infection. However, the flu can lead to complications, such as pneumonia and even death. What may seem like a cold, could, in fact, be the flu. Be aware of these differences:
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Low or no fever
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High fever
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Sometimes a headache
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Always a headache
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Stuffy, runny nose
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Clear nose or stuffy nose
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Sneezing
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Sometimes sneezing
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Mild, hacking cough
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Cough, often becoming severe
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Slight aches and pains
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Often severe aches and pains
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Mild fatigue
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Several weeks of fatigue
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Sore throat
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Sometimes a sore throat
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Normal energy level
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Extreme exhaustion
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