Helping Children Fight Flu: What Parents Should Know

Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses. For children it can be more dangerous than the common cold, and every year it takes a heavy toll on children's health and on their families. A yearly flu vaccine is the best protection against flu and its potentially serious complications — and parents can help by getting vaccinated themselves as well as vaccinating their children.

Children at higher risk

Some children are more likely to develop serious flu complications:

• children under 5, especially those under 2;
• children of any age with certain chronic health conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.

For these children it is especially important to get a seasonal flu vaccine, both to help prevent flu and to lower the risk of being hospitalized or dying if they do get sick.

Healthy children matter too

Healthy children 5 and older aren't at higher risk, but they can still get very sick from flu — and they can spread it to vulnerable family members, such as babies under 6 months, adults 65 and older, and people of any age with certain chronic conditions. That's why everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine each year: it helps protect those most at risk.

Resources for families

CDC offers printable guides for parents, including Flu: A Guide for Parents in English and Spanish and Ready Wrigley Prepares for Flu Season for young children, along with information on flu symptoms, vaccines for children from birth through the teen years, and knowing when antibiotics work.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Parents: Help Children Fight Flu."