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11/6/09- We now have in stock thimerisol free injectable vaccine for children ages 6 months to 18 years of age. At this time, the State of CT has limited the injectable vaccine in children 6 and older to those with chronic medical conditions such as asthma and diabetes. If you are a caregiver or in a household with an infant less than 6 months of age you can also receive the vaccine. 10/27/09- Show your kids this very cool video of how viruses spread and reproduce: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114075029 10/8/09- H1N1 FluMist is now in stock, and available for children ages 24-59 months, and caregivers of infants less than 6 months of age. This vaccine is administered intranasally, and cannot be given to children with egg allergy, immunosuppression or significant, uncontrolled asthma. Children with mild asthma CAN receive this form. We will notify you via website and email when the vaccine is available for older children. H1N1 influenza is now making a return to the community, though the illness has been a relatively mild, self-limited flu. Typical symptoms are fever, sore throat, cough and sometimes stomach-aches, nausea and diarrhea. We can test for this virus in our office using a "rapid flu test." While the test can diagnose influenza A, it does not confirm that the type of influenza A is H1N1 or the "Swine Flu." However, the CT state lab has told us that over 99% of positive rapid flu A samples subtyped in their labs are H1N1, not the usual seasonal flu. Thus, if your child tests positive in our office, we are calling the illness "Swine Flu." If your school is reporting any diagnosed Influenza A cases, they are most likely Swine Flu, even if the subtyping is not performed (the state lab is only doing subtyping on hospitalized patients or high risk patients.)
The treatment of Swine Flu depends on your child's main symptoms. So far the rate of complications is no higher than with the regular Seasonal Flu- the difference is that since this is a new influenza virus, many more people in the community are contracting the illness, which makes it seem more severe.
Children at HIGH-RISK for complications are those with chronic lung disease (such as asthma), heart disease, weak immune system (such as cancer), diabetes, kidney disease, other chronic illnesses, those on long-term aspirin therapy, pregnant teens or young children less than 5 years of age. If your child falls into one of these categories, and you suspect Swine Flu, please call our office for an appointment.
If your child is NOT at HIGH- RISK, you can treat their symptoms at home with plenty of rest, fluids, and acetominophen or ibuprofen for fever and pain. Saline nose drops or rinses are effective for congestion, and honey off a spoon is effective for coughs and sore throat in children over the age of 1 year.
Typically the fever lasts from 2-5 days, the stuffy or runny nose for 1-2 weeks, and the cough 2-3 weeks. Children may return to school or daycare when fever-free for 24 hours, and they are able to control and cover their coughing and nasal secretions.
Please call us immediately if your child looks or acts very sick, their breathing becomes difficult or fast, or there are symptoms of dehydration (no urine for 12 hours, dry mouth, no tears.)
Please call during normal office hours for an appointment IF your child has a persistent or severe earache or sinus pain, the fever lasts more than 5 days, the cough lasts more than 3 weeks, or you are worried. ANTIBIOTICS DO NOT TREAT INFLUENZA, but may be effective for secondary infections that can develop after 3-7 days of illness. If your child suddenly becomes worse, or develops new symptoms after they have become fever and cough-free, please call for an appointment.
Currently the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC recommend antiviral medications (such as Tamiflu) be prescribed for HIGH-RISK children with Swine Flu. These medications must be started within 48 hours of illness onset to be effective, and may reduce the length of illness by 1-2 days. Most LOW-RISK children do NOT need Tamiflu unless they are severely ill; the medication does carry the risk of increased nausea and vomitting, and rare neurological side-effects. The CDC is now reporting that approximately 20% of people exposed to a sick household member catch the virus, similar to the usual strain of seasonal flu. Wash your hands frequently and avoid contact with a patient's secretions (mucus, cough droplets, saliva.) To minimize spread in the community, schools are asking that patients be excluded from school until they are fever free for 24-48 hours. We ask that parents use common sense in also limiting playdates, parties, and other functions where their sick child might endanger others. Our office has registered with the State of Connecticut to administer the H1N1 vaccination when it becomes available, predicted to be late-October. It will first be administered to high risk groups (including children ages 6 months to 18 years of age, household contacts of infants less than 6 months of age, and pregnant women.) While this immunization is new, it has been developed in the same fashion as the usual seasonal influenza vaccination (which is also remade every season) and will be administered using the same guidelines. We will provide you with further email updates once we have more information. For answers to many of your H1N1 vaccine questions, please click here. For more information regarding both seasonal and H1N1 influenza, look at the following websites: State of Connecticut Fluwatch CDC Influenza Information
US Department of Health and Human Services Flu Website AAP H1N1 Influenza FAQs |
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