FYI: One Arlington home
daycare is closed today because of a SWINE FLU outbreak.
Another home has a confirmed case of Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
PLEASE read the following articles and be well informed. Do your part to keep this from spreading.
Pertussis is a reportable disease that should be reported to both the health department and licensing. Children who
have been exposed should be excluded from care until a negative test has been reported. Children who test positive must be
excluded from care and be on antibiotics for at least 5 days before re-admittance. For more information on Pertussis, please
read the following article:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001561.htm#Symptoms Swine Flu Symptoms in Children by Michael on May 20, 2009
As we all know, the symptoms of Swine
flu are generally the same as regular flu symptoms. In children however, the symptoms and emergency signs may vary. If your
child does have Swine Flu it is important to be able to detect the signs and symptoms as soon as possible. It is beneficial
to you and your child to be able to detect those signs early and be able to treat them properly.
The symptoms and
signs are generally the same in people whether young, old, or middle aged. The symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat,
runny nose, headache, and muscle soreness. Diahrrea and vomitting is also seen more often in children. There are also
emergency signs to watch for in children. The CDC recommends to seek immediate medical help if your child/kid/baby has any
of these symptoms below:
Emergency Signs in Children:
■Fast breathing or trouble breathing.
■Bluish or gray skin color
■Not drinking enough fluids
■Severe or persistent
vomiting
■Not waking up or not interacting
■Being so irritable that the child does not want
to be held
■Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
A report by New
England Journal of Medicine dated May 7, 2009, stated that 60 percent of the cases occurred in people under 18. However, this
does not mean that Swine Flu is most deadly in children. In fact most early deaths from this Swine Flu strain were in people
aged 25-50. However, this does not mean that you should let the symptoms in your child or adolescent go un-noticed. Treating
your child either by home or viral remedies can be very effective.
Mayo Clinic suggests these home remedy tips:
■Drink plenty of liquids. Water, juice and soup are very important! It is suggested that your child drinks enough
that their urine is clear or pale yellow.
■Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and sleep.
■Soup,
especially chicken soup is good for breaking up congestion.
■Some medications are recommended for treating
fevers in children. These include acetaminophen and ibuprofen, although ibuprofen is not recommended for children under 6
months. Aspirin is effective as well, but is not recommend for children, unless approved by a doctor.
As for Antiviral
drugs, oseltamivir (trade name Tamiflu ®) and zanamivir (Relenza ®) are generally given to treat those who are
severely ill.
Remember, Swine Flu cannot spread through Pork and the transmission of Swine Flu through air is still
not fully researched. Currently the UK Health Protection Agency suggests that facial masks are unnecessary for the general
public. So basically there is currrently minimal research on the risk of airborne transmissions so we cannot say what kind
of precautions you should take in public areas. We can however be educated about the different safety precautions to
take. Frequent hand washing, preferably for 15-30 seconds is recommended and prevents germs from spreading on your hands to
your face. It is also recommended to tell your children not to touch their eyes, nose, or mouth. The reason why is because
this is how infectious disease usually spreads.
If your child has Swine Flu, there is no good reason to panic!
There are plenty of treatment options, and deaths by swine flu are rare. The WHO estimates that the Case Fatality Rate is
most likely 0.4%. Remember that this is not the rate from America , Mexico had a much higher death rate, so that American
death rate is most probably lower.
Important tips to remember for your child:
1.If your child exhibits
any of the emergency signs above, make sure to seek emergent help.
2.Swine Flu can be treated easily; make sure
that your child drinks plenty of fluids and gets plenty of rest. Medicine can be helpful for fevers, and Anti Virals are generally
necessary for severe cases only. Remember Aspirin should not be used for your child! Talk to your doctor for the best options.
3.Make sure your child washes their hands frequently can help prevent Swine Flu altogether. Another obvious, but helpful
tip is to keep your children away from people sneezing or coughing, this is generally how influenza’s usually spread!
Overall, there is not much to worry about. Just make sure you follow all of the safety guidelines above and your child
should experience a quick and safe recovery!
