Get ready for flu season 2009-2010

This week, the CDC released a new guidance to help minimize the spread of any flu virus in child care and early childhood programs during the 2009 and 2010 season. This toolkit contains resources for providers and parents, including action steps for parents to protect your child from the flu, action steps for parents of children at higher risk for flu complications; action steps for parents if children are sick, or if the child care/early childhood programs are closed, and must stay home; and action steps for providers regarding daily health checks for children, staff recommendations, and decision-making about closures. These can be found at the CDC website.

General tips from the CDC to protect you and your child include:

1. Get you and your child vaccinated for seasonal flu AND H1N1 flu (when available); caregivers for children under 6 months should consider vaccination
2. Stay home if you or your child is sick for at least 24 hours until after a fever breaks (temperature is < 100 degrees Fahrenheit or < 37.8 degrees Celsius) or there are no more feeling of chills, feeling warm, flushed appearance, or sweating
3. Practice good hand hygiene with proper handwashing using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
4. Cover the mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing or cough/sneeze into elbow or shoulder, not hands
5. If someone at home is sick with the flu, children in the household should stay home for at least 5 days from the time the first person got sick
6. Keep your child home for at least 7 days if your child is sick, even if they are ready to run and play before that. If your child is still sick after 7 days, keep him/her home until 24 hours after the symptoms have completely gone away.
7. Seek urgent medical attention if one or more of the following signs are noticed:

fast breathing, trouble breathing, shortness of breath, or stopping breathing;

bluish, purplish, or gray skin color especially around the lips and the inside of the mouth, or around the nails;

not drinking enough fluids, refusing to drink;

not urinating, decreased number of wet diapers, or no tears when crying;

severe or persistent vomiting;

not waking up or not interacting (e.g., unusually quiet and inactive, no interest in playing, no interest in favorite toy);

being so irritable that the child does not want to be held, or cannot be consoled;

pain or pressure in the chest or stomach;

sudden dizziness;

confusion; and

flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough.