Shoo, Flu!

It's Not Too Late to Get Vaccinated

Did you know that influenza season actually will continue through March?  Experts at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center continue to urge parents to have their children vaccinated – for H1N1 and for seasonal flu.

For younger children, especially those who have never had flu shots before, getting full protection this season could mean arranging for up to four doses of vaccine.

“Unfortunately, the ‘swine flu’ vaccine won’t protect against the seasonal flu and vice-versa,” says Robert Frenck Jr., MD, who studies flu vaccines as part of the Gamble Center for Clinical Studies at Cincinnati Children’s.

Even this late in the year, the vaccines will offer valuable protection for the rest of the flu season.

“We don’t know if there will be a second wave of H1N1,” Frenck says. “So even if you get a dose in December, you will be covered for a fair amount of the season.”

Is the H1N1 Vaccine Safe?

Yes. The H1N1 vaccine was made following the same process and timetable that’s used to make seasonal flu vaccine, Frenck says. In fact, had the H1N1 strain been detected a few months sooner, it simply would have been included in the annual flu vaccine.

How Many Doses?

If you’re wondering how many flu shots your child needs, experts say one dose is far better than none. But more doses may be recommended. If your child is:

• AGE 10 AND UP, two doses are recommended: one for H1N1 and one for seasonal flu.

• AGE 9 OR YOUNGER and has never had a flu vaccine, full protection likely means four doses. That’s two doses of H1N1 vaccine and
  two for the seasonal flu. (It is safe to get first doses of H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines at the same time or within days, but wait about
  a month before getting the second doses) If your child has had flu shots in the past, two doses of H1N1 are recommended for
  full protection, but only one dose of the seasonal flu vaccine is needed.

• YOUNGER THAN 6 MONTHS OLD, that’s too young for any kind of flu vaccine.

Should we go to the Hospital?

Use the “Mom test.” If all your child has is a mild fever, sore throat and aches and pains, hospital care is not needed. Your child should stay home, drink lots of fluids, take Tylenol and be watched.

If the fever continues more than two or three days, or if your child has difficulty breathing, or if anything else occurs that would make a mother concerned, then seek medical care, Frenck says.

"People need to have a healthy level of concern, but not an overwhelming fear of this virus,” Frenck says. “The vast majority of children are going to have mild disease."