5 SIMPLE FLU PREVENTION TIPS
The flu may be more serious to healthy children than most parents realize. In the 2003-2004 flu season, flu was the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death in children in the United States. Nearly half of the 153 flu-related deaths in that flu season were otherwise healthy children who were under 18. To help protect your child from getting the flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends these simple prevention tips.
Get vaccinated!
Although the below preventative measures can help, the best way to help prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccine every year. And remember, no one — including you and your children — can get the flu from a flu vaccine.
Eat a balanced diet and get proper rest.
This is good general advice for keeping your body healthy and able to fight off infections.
Keep your distance!
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick, too. You should also avoid going to work when you are ill with the flu, and encourage your kids to stay at home from school if they have the flu.
Routinely clean and disinfect surfaces.
Cleaning and disinfecting are not the same. While cleaning with soap and water removes visible dirt and most germs, disinfecting with a bleach solution or other disinfectant kills additional germs on surfaces, providing an added margin of safety.
Wash your hands.
Hand washing with soap and water is one of the best ways to prevent infectious diseases. You should wash your hands often to help remove the germs you may pick up from touching people, surfaces, and animals.
Make the first tip your first step in helping prevent the flu in your children - get them vaccinated!
Learn about effective ways to help prevent the flu in your children »
"The single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated."
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention