Utah Valley Pediatrics strives to keep parents up to date on the latest health topics and advisories. Our newsletter covers medicine changes and news, pediatric news, seasonal and age specific topics and what’s new at Utah Valley Pediatrics.
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Flu and Cold Alert
Vol. 2 Issue 3
Cold and Flu Season Survival Guide
Things You Can Do To Prevent the Flu
What Is the Difference Between a Cold and the Flu?
Types of Flu Vaccines and Who Should Get Them
What You Should Know About Using Antibiotics
Contacts
Kevin Moffitt
Administrator
801-373-8930
Allison Arnold
Manager
801-373-8930
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Cold and Flu Season Survival Guide
Things You Can Do To Prevent the Flu
Getting the flu isn't any fun, but it can also be serious. Each year, 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and around 36,000 die from these complications. Protect yourself and your family by taking the following steps.
-Get a flu vaccine.
-Be careful.
-If you get the flu, take antiviral drugs if recommended by your doctor.
What Is the Difference Between a Cold and the Flu?
Your child has a sore throat, cough, and high fever. Is it the flu or just a common cold? It is not always easy to tell. The following questions can help you determine whether your child has the flu or a cold.
Types of Flu Vaccines and Who Should Get Them
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that those who are at high risk for flu complications (and those who live with or care for people at high risk) should be vaccinated each year. Those at high risk include children ages six months to five years old as well as pregnant women. Anyone who wants to reduce the potential of getting the flu can also be vaccinated. The best time to get vaccinated is in October and November, but you can still get vaccinated in the later winter months.
Flu Shots: Fact and Fiction
Fact
1. While not foolproof, the best way to prevent the flu is still to get a flu vaccine every fall.
2. Anybody at high risk for flu complications needs to get a flu shot. This includes children under 5, adults over 65, and anyone with medical conditions such as asthma, bronchitis or heart disease.
3. Health experts still highly recommend that seniors get an annual flu shot even though some studies in the past year have shown that flu vaccines may not work as well in people over 70. The evidence from the studies is not conclusive and some protection is better than no protection.
4. Generally people have no reaction to flu shots. Less than 25 percent of people have some redness and minor swelling at the injection site, and about 5 percent experience a slight fever, chills and/or headache within 24 hours. Symptoms only last a couple of days.
5. It is important to get a flu shot every year because the flu virus mutates from year to year.
6. If you are allergic to eggs or latex, have a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), or have had a severe reaction to a flu shot in the past, consult your doctor before getting a flu shot. If you have a fever, you should wait until the symptoms pass before getting a flu shot.
What You Should Know About Using Antibiotics
Winter is coming and so is the cold and flu season. If you suffer from a cold or the flu, then antibiotics will not work for you. Colds, flu, most coughs and bronchitis, sore throats not caused by strep, and runny noses are usually caused by viruses; and antibiotics only kill bacteria. Antibiotics cannot cure a viral infection, keep others from catching it or help you feel better. Only time and your body's natural defenses can cure a viral infection.
In fact, taking antibiotics when you have a virus and/or when you don't need them poses one of the world's most significant public health risks. Overuse of antibiotics can cause antibiotic resistance; this is when antibiotics no longer work on disease-causing organisms. Diseases once easily treated by antibiotics become harder to treat, leading to longer-lasting illnesses, more doctor visits, extended hospital stays, and the need for more toxic medications. Some resistant infections can even cause death.
Taking antibiotics can also lead to potential side effects. If you do not need the antibiotic, then it is better to avoid any side effects like allergic reactions.
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