Parents, here’s what you need to know about H1N1.

If your child is sick with flu-like symptoms – fever, body aches, coughing – they almost certainly have what is commonly known as swine flu.

Don’t panic. The virus is no more dangerous than regular flu.

But after a couple days, if your [...]]]>

H1N1 Symptoms. Primer For Parents On H1N1

Parents, here’s what you need to know about H1N1.

If your child is sick with flu-like symptoms – fever, body aches, coughing – they almost certainly have what is commonly known as swine flu.

Don’t panic. The virus is no more dangerous than regular flu.

But after a couple days, if your child isn’t feeling better – if his fever spikes or he’s having trouble breathing – don’t delay. Take him to a doctor immediately.

Jeffrey Kahn, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center Dallas, said a rebounding illness may suggest a dangerous, underlying bacterial infection such as pneumonia.

“If your child has flu and is improving, and two or three days into the illness they begin having problems again, that should be a warning sign to take your child back for medical evaluation,” he said.

“For some reason, influenza sets some people up for these bacterial super-infections.”

Julie Punjak rode out a similar scenario this week with her 10-year-old daughter, Maribeth.

It started with a hide-and-seek scratchy throat and low-grade fever. But two nights later, she was burning up at 103.2.

“I set my iPhone to wake me up every two hours that night,” Punjak said. “You try to keep it in perspective and do the best you can, but I wouldn’t have hesitated to call 911 at any moment.”

Maribeth, a fourth-grader at Wallace Elementary School in the Richardson district, fully recovered two days later.

Most families’ experience with H1N1 will be similar to that of the Punjaks – a tense night or two and a slow climb back to health.

But there’s something about this flu season that has set the public’s nerves on edge. Maybe it was the 24/7 news reports in the spring or that people have no immunity to it (vaccines won’t arrive for a few more weeks) or the news of healthy children struck down in days.

“There’s no prevention for what’s going on right now. You’re really at the mercy of the disease,” Punjak said. “As parents, we really do everything we can do to protect our kids – tetanus shots and all these vaccines in their formative years – and then you can’t do anything about something like this.”

Kahn said a crush of cases may be sharpening the public’s feelings of vulnerability.

“We never see this type of influenza so early in the season, in late September or early October,” he said. “The number of children presenting to our hospitals with flu-like symptoms right now is as high, if not higher, than we normally see during the seasonal epidemics.”

The good news is this: As flus go, H1N1 isn’t especially nasty.

Almost everyone will recover without hospitalization, and many people will beat it back in just a few days.

Doctors learned a lot about H1N1 by watching how it behaved in the Southern Hemisphere, which is now recovering from its eight-week flu season. North Texas may have about a month of swine flu left.

“Fortunately, the disease has been relatively mild,” Kahn said. “Of course, there have been a number of deaths and those are tragic, but children die during the seasonal flu epidemics as well, so this is really not any different.”

There are a few things you can do to protect yourself.

First, practice good hygiene – cough into your arm, wash your hands and, if possible, avoid contact with people who are obviously sick. Second, get a seasonal flu shot.

Polls suggest many parents may pass on the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available later this month. Consumer Reports said 43 percent of Americans are on the fence about getting the vaccine, and just 34 percent were committed to have their children inoculated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children older than 6 months be vaccinated.

Vaccines for the seasonal flu were widely available across the area Thursday, even though lines stretched for 30 minutes or longer at some pharmacies and clinics.

The Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services temporarily ran out of flu vaccine for children ages 3 and older, even though the FluMist nasal spray and vaccine for babies and toddlers were still available.

“The fact that Dallas County HHS has run out of the children’s seasonal flu vaccine this early in the season tells me that parents were listening when we said getting vaccinated was extremely important in safeguarding your children,” said director Zachary Thompson.

Even though emergency rooms are full of sick children and the flu season will almost certainly get worse before it gets better, doctors said North Texans have been lucky in one way.

“We’re fortunate right now because there’s no seasonal influenza circulating,” said Kahn. “If this swine flu epidemic begins to overlap with the seasonal flu epidemic, things begin to get complicated.”

Advice To Cut Your Flu Risks

Under what circumstance should a child be taken to a doctor’s office (nonemergency)?

This is important. Even if you have taken your child to the doctor and have been given a course of treatment (stay home, drink lots of fluids, etc.), that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek medical attention if your child gets worse. With the flu, and especially with children, the illness can be unpredictable and take a turn for the worse quickly.

These are signs that you should seek urgent medical attention:

•Fast breathing or trouble breathing.

•Bluish or gray skin color.

•Not drinking enough fluids.

•Severe or persistent vomiting.

•Not waking up or not interacting.

•Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held.

•Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and a worse cough.

How do I reduce my child’s risk of getting H1N1?

Teach your children to frequently wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and to cough or sneeze into a tissue. Keep them at least 6 feet away from people who are sick. Set a good example by doing these things yourself.

When do I keep my child home from school?

Keep your child home from school if he or she gets sick.

If someone in my house gets sick, should we all assume we have the virus and isolate ourselves?

Household members who are not sick can go about their business but should monitor their health carefully.

The sick person should be kept in a separate room, and only one person should have contact with that family member. The sick person and caregiver should avoid close contact and wear face masks, if possible. The sick person’s laundry and eating utensils should be handled carefully and thoroughly washed before reuse.

The sick person should be assumed to carry the virus until at least 24 hours after his fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine.

Are there more child deaths associated with H1N1 than with seasonal flu? If so, why?

In 2008, there were 88 flu-related pediatric deaths in the U.S. So far this year, there have been 49. However, with an increased amount of illness, there is the potential that more people will develop severe complications or die.

Who gets the vaccine first and why?

In the case of a vaccine shortage, the people recommended to get it first are children 6 months to 4 years old, pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months, children 5 through 18 with chronic medical conditions and some health workers.

How dangerous is H1N1?

Just like the seasonal flu, most people who get H1N1 will recover without needing medical treatment. However, like the seasonal flu, H1N1 can lead to severe illness or death in some cases.

People with conditions including pregnancy, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and suppressed immune systems are at high risk.

How do I find out if my doctor has H1N1 vaccine?

The situation is changing rapidly, so it’s best to just call. Doctors and clinics started submitting orders for the vaccine Thursday, and children could start receiving it as soon as Tuesday.

What do I do if my doctor won’t prescribe Tamiflu or other antiviral medication?

Children younger than 2 are generally recommended for antiviral medicine if they have the flu. Most people don’t need Tamiflu – it is usually reserved for people who are hospitalized with the flu or people who are at high risk for complications.

But the decision of when to use Tamiflu is left to clinical judgment – the doctor is free to prescribe Tamiflu based on professional judgment. So if you feel strongly, get a second opinion.

Should an adult or child get vaccinated if the vaccine is only available after flu season?

Yes, because the vaccine can build immunity to this and similar strains of flu.

Should children get the H1N1 vaccine if they’ve already been sick this season?

Yes, because the vaccine can build immunity to this and similar strains of flu and because unless you had a laboratory test confirming that it was 2009-H1N1, you may not have actually had the disease.

Should I keep my child home if classmates are sick?

It’s generally not recommended to keep your child home from school to prevent illness.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Compiled by Scott Farwell and Avi Selk

Eating at a buffet is lots of fun, especially for kids.  Children get very excited about the different choices they are offered at a buffet.  For some, the idea of “all you can eat” is thrilling.  How can you help your [...]]]>

10 Tips To Help Your Child Stay Healthy While Eating At A Buffet

Eating at a buffet is lots of fun, especially for kids.  Children get very excited about the different choices they are offered at a buffet.  For some, the idea of “all you can eat” is thrilling.  How can you help your child navigate a buffet without going overboard?  Read on for ten simple guidelines to help your child eat at a buffet without sabotaging his diet. Don’t sit/stand around the buffet.

Make your child’s plate and then move away from the table. Looking at the food will only make your child want to eat more.

Choose a small plate. Give your child a large plate and you are giving your child the opportunity to load on the food.  If possible, use a dessert or salad plate so there is less room to load up on calories.

Consider starting with a plate of salad and fresh vegetables. Once your child is done with the salad, then make your way to the buffet to pick your main course options.

Try to fill half the plate up with something healthy, like grilled vegetables or fruit. This also limits the amount of room for fattening fare.

Look before you serve.  Walk around the buffet with your child and decide what she will eat before you fill the plate.  Figure out which foods she likes most and stick to those.  Don’t put unnecessary dishes on the plate.

Pick one unhealthy dish and stick with that. If you know your kids want to have an unhealthy dessert, make sure the rest of their meal is healthy.  Don’t take little bits of many different unhealthy dishes because the calories add up quickly!

Try to avoid crispy, crunchy, and creamy foods. These foods tend to have lots of fat.

Buffet foods often contain lots of sauce. When you spoon food onto your child’s plate, try to take as little sauce as possible.  When possible, pick food from the top of the pan as opposed to the bottom of the pan.  Food at the bottom of the pan has been sitting in the most butter, oil or sauce and has likely soaked much of it up.

Encourage your child to eat slowly.  Don’t let him shovel his food into his mouth.  Teach him to focus on his food to fully enjoy the flavor.

Stick with water or seltzer for drinks. Avoid Shirley Temples and regular soda as they are just unnecessary calories.

Source: http://drweigh.com/blog/2009/07/13/buffet_healthy/