Again this year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending parents opt for the shot over the nasal mist. The shot contains a dead virus; the nasal mist is a live, but weakened virus.
“In five major studies of FluMist in the 2015-16 influenza season, the mist was found to be less effective overall than the version that comes in the shot, especially with Influenza A/H1N1,” says Bethany Linegang, infection preventionist at Dayton Children’s. “Since researchers anticipate that those varieties will be the circulating strains again this year, they recommend the shot for the best protection against the flu this season.”
“Vaccines are safe and effective,” says Dr. Alter. “There are very few side effects and they are much less severe than having the illness would be. Making sure your children are fully vaccinated not only protects them from disease, disability and death, it helps protect the rest of the community as well.”
“The majority of our flu admissions last year were infants under the age of 6 months who are too young to be vaccinated,” says Linegang. “We can protect our most vulnerable populations, by making sure everyone in the family who can be vaccinated gets their shots on time.”
There are additional steps you can teach your children to prevent the spread of the flu and other illnesses.
Hand washing: Create a good lather with soap and water and wash for 20 seconds, about as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.
Cover coughs and sneezes: Use a tissue, then immediately toss the tissue in the trash. If a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your sleeve. Coughing into the hand can spread germs.
Never share cups or utensils.
Eat well and get plenty of sleep: Your immune system can fight harder when it's strong and healthy.
If your child does get the flu, make sure you keep them home from school or day care until they are better — usually seven days after the illness starts. Dr. Alter says the best way to treat children who have the flu is to make sure they get extra rest, drink plenty of fluids and eat light, easy-to-digest foods like applesauce. Call your pediatrician if you have concerns about your child’s illness.
This look at a children’s health or safety issue comes from Dayton Children’s Hospital. Email: newsroom@childrensdayton.org.
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