How to prevent your baby from getting the flu during the flu season?

What is "flu"? Influenza is the abbreviation of influenza, which is a serious respiratory infection caused by a specific influenza virus. There are four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D. The main influenza viruses that people are infected with are A and B. ..

Influenza virus is easy to mutate and spread quickly, which can cause seasonal epidemic every year, and epidemic situations may occur in schools, kindergartens, nursing homes and other places where people gather.

According to the WHO data of susceptible population, about 20%~30% of children in the world suffer from seasonal influenza every year, and the annual infection rate of children's influenza is high, with the highest infection rate among children aged 5~9.

The main sources of influenza transmission are patients and recessive infected people (people who carry influenza virus but have not yet developed the disease). It is contagious from the end of the incubation period to the acute stage of the disease. Viruses generally detoxify in human respiratory secretions for 3 to 7 days, and the detoxification time for children, immunocompromised and critically ill patients can exceed 1 week.

The main route of transmission: influenza virus mainly spreads through droplets such as sneezing and coughing, and is directly or indirectly infected through mucous membranes such as mouth, nose and eyes; Contact with items contaminated by viruses can also be infected through the above channels.

Peak period of infection: 24-48 hours after the onset of influenza patients is the peak period of virus discharge. Older children need 5 days, and younger children have the same amount of detoxification as adults, and the detoxification time will be longer; Long-term detoxification of infants is very common (> 1 week); Children with low or deficient immune function take longer to detoxify.

flu symptoms

Influenza is generally characterized by acute onset, fever (some cases may have high fever, reaching 39~40℃), accompanied by chills, headache, muscle and joint pain, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite and other systemic symptoms, such as sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, runny nose, retrosternal discomfort, facial flushing, vomiting and diarrhea. Complications may occur after some high-risk groups are infected with influenza. Pneumonia is the most common complication. Other complications include nervous system injury, heart injury and myositis. Mild flu is often similar to the common cold, but its fever and systemic symptoms are more obvious. Severe influenza mainly occurs in high-risk groups such as the elderly, young children, pregnant women or people with chronic basic diseases, and can also occur in the general population.

The clinical manifestations and complications of influenza in children are similar to those in adults. Children infected with influenza B show vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Compared with adults, the incidence and complications of influenza in children are higher. Acute laryngitis, acute otitis media, tracheitis, bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia caused by children infected with influenza virus are more common than adults.

What do parents and children do? 1, pay attention to personal hygiene habits and wash your hands frequently, especially after meals, touching your eyes, nose or mouth, and going out and returning home;

2. Keep the environment clean and ventilated, and try to reduce it to crowded and poorly ventilated places;

3, should try to avoid contact with patients with respiratory infections; Personal protection when contact is required (such as wearing a mask);

4. Family members are infected with influenza, so it is recommended to isolate them as much as possible to reduce contact with children;

5. According to the temperature change, give the children clothes in time, have a full rest, have a balanced diet, strengthen exercise, and enhance their physique and immunity;

6. Vaccination against influenza is the most effective means to prevent influenza, which can significantly reduce the risk of influenza and serious complications.

What should schools and kindergartens do? 1, actively carry out various forms of health education on influenza-related prevention and treatment knowledge;

2. Advocate sanitary behaviors such as environmental sanitation and scientific hand washing, so as to improve students' and faculty's correct understanding of influenza prevention and self-protection ability;

3. Strengthen the environmental sanitation and ventilation of classrooms, libraries (reading rooms), offices and other places where students and staff study, work and live, and maintain air circulation;

4. Strengthen the monitoring of morning check-up and students' absence due to illness. Once students are found to have symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat, they should inform their parents in time and take their children to see a doctor. If an influenza-like epidemic situation is found, it should be reported to the disease prevention and control institutions and education administrative departments in the jurisdiction in a timely manner.

What should I do after my child is diagnosed with the flu? What should parents do?

1, children infected with influenza should be isolated as soon as possible;

2. Let children pay attention to rest, drink plenty of water properly, and the diet should be digestible and nutritious;

3. Pay attention to window ventilation indoors to maintain air circulation;

4. When taking care of children, parents should also pay attention to their own protection (such as wearing masks and washing hands after contact) to avoid cross-infection; Other family members should minimize contact with children, especially those who are not infected with the flu.

Parents are advised to ask their children not to go to school for the time being, rest at home and try to avoid places where people gather.

What about schools and kindergartens?

1. Strengthen monitoring and report in time.

Strengthen the daily morning and afternoon check-up system and the registration system for absenteeism due to illness, and report to the education administrative department and the local health administrative department if an abnormal increase in influenza-like cases is found in a short period of time.

2. Do a good job in case management

When flu-like cases are found, they should wear masks in time, and inform parents to take their children to see a doctor or go home to rest, and follow up their progress and prognosis in time.

3. Maintain a good environment and personal hygiene.

Pay attention to keep the air circulation in classrooms, dormitories, canteens and other places, and often open windows for ventilation to keep the air fresh; Public places should be cleaned regularly to keep the environment clean. Instruct students to pay attention to personal hygiene, wash their hands frequently and do not use towels. Cover your nose and mouth with paper towels or sleeves when coughing or sneezing, and wash your hands immediately after touching respiratory secretions (such as after sneezing). Wear a mask after flu-like symptoms or contact with patients.

4. Actively carry out health education.

To carry out health education, we can use posters, blackboard newspapers, folding pages and other forms to publicize health and disease prevention knowledge and improve teachers and students' awareness and ability of self-protection.

5. Other measures

Schools and kindergartens with epidemic situation will reduce or avoid organizing collective activities according to the development trend of epidemic situation. If necessary, measures such as suspension of classes and holidays can be taken according to expert suggestions to prevent the spread of the epidemic.