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Crash Course on Flu Prevention and Treatment

There are a number of ways you can protect your family from the flu this season. Key tools to help fight flu include vaccination, antiviral medication and good hygiene practices. Together, these three measures can help you and your family break the flu sick cycle this winter.

Vaccination. Getting vaccinated is the first line of defense against flu. In fact, the flu vaccine is 70 to 90 percent successful in preventing the virus among healthy adults and children. While October and November are the best times to get a flu shot, it's never too late in the flu season to get vaccinated.

The CDC specifically recommends vaccination for the following groups:

• children 6 to 59 months of age
• anyone 50 years of age or older
• kids ages 6 months to 18 years of age who are on long-term aspirin therapy
• women who will be pregnant during the flu season
• people with any condition that can compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions (that is, a condition that makes it hard to breathe or swallow, such as brain injury or disease, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders or other nerve muscle disorders)
• residents of long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes

It is estimated that more than 90 million people in the United States have a chronic illness. The CDC specifically recommends that any adult or child six months and older with chronic heart or lung conditions, including asthma, be vaccinated. Additionally, any adult or child six months and older who needed regular medical care or was in a hospital during the previous year because of a metabolic disease (like diabetes), chronic kidney disease or weakened immune system (including immune system problems caused by medicines or by infection with HIV/AIDS), should receive an annual flu vaccination.

To prevent the spread of the virus, it's important for household contacts and out-of-home caregivers—those who can easily spread the flu to infants or children—to get vaccinated. This means parents, siblings, grandparents, caregivers and babysitters. Anyone who lives or works with infants under six months should get vaccinated because the vaccine is not approved for use in children this young.

It's important to schedule vaccination appointments early in the season for children younger than nine years of age who are being vaccinated for the first time OR who only received one of two needed doses the previous year. Children should receive two doses of the vaccine one month apart for it to be fully effective.

Prescription antiviral medications. Prescription antiviral medications are an important adjunct to vaccination for flu prevention. There are currently only two antiviral medications recommended by both the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)—oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). Tamiflu is available in capsule or liquid form, while Relenza is inhaled through the mouth.

Antivirals Complement Vaccine in Flu Prevention
As a preventive measure, these antivirals may be administered to children under a doctor's care to help them avoid catching the flu from others in a variety of special situations. For example:

• children who have egg allergies and therefore cannot receive flu vaccine.
• children who just received vaccination, which requires two to four weeks to become effective.
• children who have been vaccinated, but have a chronic disease, such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, anemia, lung/kidney disease or HIV/AIDS.
• children who may not have received a vaccine but are exposed to flu.

If you or your child has been around someone who has the flu, a doctor can prescribe antiviral medication to help prevent you or your child from catching the virus. However, it's important to contact the doctor fast, as antiviral medication should be taken within the first 12 to 48 hours of exposure to the virus. When administered within 48 hours of exposure, Tamiflu is up to 92 percent effective at preventing flu in adults and 82 percent effective in preventing flu in children.

In addition to vaccine, antivirals can be particularly useful in helping to control flu outbreaks in households, schools, day-care settings and communities. During an outbreak, antivirals can be administered not only to children, but also to those in close contact—such as parents, teachers and child care workers—to reduce the chances of passing the virus to the child. (For complete CDC recommendations, visit http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr56e629a1.htm.)

Treatment: You Don't Have to Take the Flu Lying Down
Many people don't realize that the flu can be treated. While over-the-counter products can relieve flu symptoms, antiviral medications directly attack the flu virus at its source. If taken within 12 to 48 hours of experiencing the first symptom, antivirals can reduce the length of illness by one to two days.

The CDC recommends that children who are at high risk of serious complications from the flu be treated with prescription antiviral medication. In fact, a recent study of more than 15,000 children found that those who were diagnosed with flu and treated with oseltamivir (Tamiflu) were 52 percent less likely to develop pneumonia, compared with patients who received no antiviral treatment.

However, it's important to remember to "beat the clock"—for treatment to be effective, antiviral medication must be given within 12 to 48 hours of symptom onset, which means you must see your doctor at the first signs of flu for a prescription.

The Lowdown on Antivirals
No antiviral drugs are approved for use in children less than one year old. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) is available in pill or liquid form and is approved for both the prevention and treatment of influenza in adults and children over the age of one. Zanamivir (Relenza) is approved to prevent the flu in adults and children age five and older and to treat the flu in adults and children age seven and older. As with the flu vaccine, antivirals are not effective against other respiratory viruses, like colds, or against bacterial infections such as bronchitis.

For more information on the CDC-recommended antiviral medications, visit:

• www.Tamiflu.com
• www.Relenza.com

Good hygiene practices. The best defense against illness is a good offense. Certain good health habits can help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses like the flu. Protect yourself and your children from getting the flu by practicing these healthy habits:

Other symptom relief reminders. While a cold or flu must run its course, there are things you can do to ease the symptoms. If your child gets sick, encourage him or her to get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids, preferably water and noncaffeinated drinks. This will help with hydration and the ability to fight the infection.

Other suggestions to keep in mind include:

• Gargle with salt water to soothe a sore throat.
• Use a humidifier to moisten the air and help ease congestion and coughing. Be sure to clean the filter often so that mold doesn't grow.
• Choose the right over-the-counter medication for symptom relief and be sure to read the label. For a cold, antihistamines, decongestants and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines can help. Never give aspirin to children or teenagers who have flu-like symptoms, particularly fever, without consulting your pediatrician first.

As always, talk with your health care professional about which treatments are best for you and your family.