Protect your infant from the flu

It's flu season once more. Millions of people hunker down each fall to get ready for the annual start of influenza outbreaks. With the season comes an influx of visits by anxious parents and their ill children to pediatricians' offices, at best, and hospital emergency departments, at worst. You need to be ready now that you have a newborn.

So how do you maintain your newborn's health throughout the winter?

Although you cannot immunize your child against the flu, there are steps you can take to keep him healthy during flu season. Many of these measures are common sense.

What exactly is the flu?

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness brought on by a family of viruses called influenza, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. It affects five to twenty percent of Americans on average each year, causing symptoms like fever, headache, dry cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea. Bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, dehydration, and deterioration of long-term medical conditions are complications linked to the illness.

Serious flu-related complications are particularly likely to affect young children, the elderly, and people with chronic health conditions.

How can I prevent getting the flu?

The best way to prevent the flu, according to the CDC, is to get vaccinated. Though you can still be immunized into December, it is best to get your flu shot in October or November.

Everyone who will be around young children, including parents, siblings, and caregivers, should get immunized. In 2006, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its advice to recommend flu shots for kids as young as six months old and as old as five. The CDC also suggests immunization for expectant mothers. According to studies, immunization of mothers may help protect young infants from the flu.

Regardless of whether you received the flu shot while pregnant or not, your newborn cannot catch the flu if he does not come into contact with the virus because he is too young to receive the vaccine safely.

Other easy precautions include covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, washing your hands frequently with soap and water, avoiding close contact with sick people, and avoiding bringing your baby into crowded public areas. Be aware and take precautions as the flu is spread through contact with respiratory droplets from an infected person, primarily from coughing and sneezing.

What to do if you or your child becomes ill?

Reduce your child's exposure to you as much as you can if you suspect the flu. Rest and hydrate well. If you need to, take medication to lower your fever. If your condition gets worse, call your doctor. Make sure your infant continues to nurse frequently if he gets sick to avoid dehydration. If your infant is having trouble breathing, isn't getting enough to eat, seems less alert than usual, or if his rectal temperature exceeds 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, call your pediatrician right away.

Influenza is a serious concern, especially for new parents. But simple, common sense measures can help you keep your child healthy all through flu season.