How to protect your kids this flu season

Updated August 23, 2023.

Clinical Editor: Megan Dodson, PA-C

It’s that time of year again: flu season is back. As the fall and winter months roll in each year, millions of people come down with the uncomfortable respiratory illness. In fact, according to the CDC, about 8% of the U.S. population gets sick from the flu each season. While it may seem like getting sick is inevitable this time of year, the flu is preventable and there are several steps you can take to protect both you and your family from the virus. Here’s what you need to know to keep your kids healthy this flu season:

The flu is a highly contagious respiratory virus that comes on suddenly. Symptoms, such as body aches, fever, and a cough, typically develop one to four days after exposure, and can last from a few days to two weeks. Having the flu may include any or all of the following symptoms:

• Fever (usually 100.4°F or higher, lasting for several days), often with chills
• Body aches or muscle aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Cough
• Eye pain, such as burning, pain on eye movement or sensitivity to light
• Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea or nausea/vomiting

And because the flu is caused by a virus, antibiotics that are effective against bacteria aren’t useful when you have the flu.

The flu is spread person-to-person primarily from droplets that can travel through the air from coughing and sneezing, as well as by physical contact with contaminated surfaces like door handles, countertops or anything else an infected person touched recently. So teach your children cough and sneeze technique and good hand hygiene to keep your family and those around you healthy during flu season. Staying home when you’re sick will also reduce the spread of flu.

Yes! At One Medical, we encourage all our patients who are eligible, including infants age 6 months and older and children and teens, to get vaccinated against the flu. It’s the single best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from getting the flu. In fact, the flu shot not only reduces your child’s risk of getting the flu and lessens symptoms if they do get sick, it also helps prevent the flu from spreading. Moreover, the flu shot is especially important for infants and children, anyone pregnant (or planning to become pregnant), those over the age of 50, those with a chronic medical condition, and those caring for someone who is at risk for complications of the flu. These special groups are at high risk of serious complications of flu, like hospitalization, pneumonia and even death.The best way to protect your child is for the entire family to get vaccinated against the flu.

Yes, it’s recommended. Each year, the flu vaccine is updated to better match the strain(s) of flu expected to cause the majority of flu cases during the upcoming flu season. Because flu viruses can mutate from season to season, it’s important to get a flu shot every year to ensure you and your loved ones are protected. While it’s possible immunity from a prior year’s shot can be protective, One Medical stands with other bodies such as the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization in recommending annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older.

Yes, some infants are too young to be vaccinated for the flu, while older infants and young children may need 2 flu shots to be completely vaccinated. Here’s the breakdown by age:

• Babies under 6 months are too young to receive the flu vaccine. The best way to protect newborns and young infants is to make sure the people who care for them and spend time with them are vaccinated.
• Between 6 months and 8 years, some children will need 2 doses of the flu vaccine to be protected. If it is the first time your child is receiving the flu vaccine, or if your child has only received one flu vaccine in the past, they will need 2 doses of the vaccine this season. It is best to begin with the first dose as early as possible. The second dose should be given at least 28 days after the first dose. Children who need 2 doses, but only receive 1 dose of the vaccine may have reduced or no protection from the flu.
• Children between 6 months to 8 years who have received 2 doses of the flu vaccine in the past, will only need one flu shot this season.
• Children over 8 years old will need one flu shot this season.

For children 6 months and up, it’s best to get the flu shot before flu season starts, so we recommend getting vaccinated in September or October when the current season’s vaccine becomes available. It is especially important for children who need 2 doses of the vaccine to start the process early, as the second dose is given at least 28 days after the first. Because flu season in the U.S. can last as late as May, it’s still worth getting vaccinated even after October. Babies who turn 6 months in the midst of flu season should start the 2 dose vaccine series as close to 6 months as possible. Also, it can take up to two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop and protect your child against the flu, so keep that in mind when planning to get vaccinated.

Yes, very! Flu vaccines have been studied carefully and are very safe. Even though some people get sick despite getting a flu shot, the flu shot itself can't give you the flu. Some people report symptoms such as body aches and low-grade fevers after getting a flu shot. This is due to your body’s developing a healthy immune response to the vaccine. These symptoms usually resolve within 24-48 hours. There has been an association between the flu shot and a serious complication called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), but this is extremely rare - fewer than 1 or 2 people per million who receive the vaccine will develop this syndrome, and the vaccine has been shown over and over to be safe and effective. If you have concerns about the vaccine’s safety, you can read more from the CDC here. Talk to your provider if your child has had a bad reaction to a vaccine in the past before they get their next flu shot.

Both the flu and COVID-19 are contagious respiratory illnesses, but are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, while the flu is caused by various strains of influenza viruses. As both viruses cause many of the same symptoms and are transmitted via close personal contact and through respiratory particles, it can be difficult to distinguish one from the other. Read more about the similarities and differences between the flu and COVID-19 here.

Flu and COVID-19 can both cause serious illness and complications that may result in hospitalization and death. As both the flu and COVID-19 can be fatal, we should all do our part to help reduce transmission of both viruses to help protect the most vulnerable and to prevent overwhelming our healthcare system.

As the flu and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses, it’s possible to have both respiratory illnesses at the same time. Given the possibility of coinfection, it’s especially important for your child to get a flu shot this year to better protect them and your loved ones.

The flu vaccine doesn’t protect against COVID-19 directly. Likewise,the COVID-19 vaccines do not protect against the flu. The best way to protect your child from both illnesses is for them to receive both vaccines. Learn more about children and COVID-19 vaccines here.

The best way to protect your child against both flu and COVID-19 is for them to get vaccinated. Multiple vaccines are produced each year to protect against the flu, and COVID-19 vaccines are also available. These vaccines not only reduce your risk of getting the flu or COVID-19 and lessen the severity of illness if you do get sick, but they also help prevent both viruses from spreading. Getting vaccinated can also protect those around you, particularly those at increased risk for severe illness.

In addition to vaccination, many of the same health and safety precautions we’ve taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 also help prevent the flu. The CDC recommends the following to reduce your child’s risk of both flu and COVID-19 infection:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Keep children home from daycare, school, activities, or from close contact with other people if your child becomes sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough. Be mindful of others in your household as well. Children and teens who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should be tested for COVID-19, even if symptoms are mild.
• Cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and if soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. A trick to encouraging 20 seconds of handwashing is having your child wash a toy while washing their hands or singing one of their favorite songs. Singing “Happy Birthday” twice, for instance, will indicate when they can stop. You should encourage your child to wash their hands upon entering the house, after using the restroom, and before eating.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands and encourage your child to do the same.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched toys and surfaces with a householder cleaner daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, handles, desks, toilets, phones, and tablets.

The CDC recommends wearing a well-fitting face mask when you’re sick if you have to be around others, such as to seek medical care, and when you’re living with someone who is sick. Children under age 2 years should not wear a mask.

Because it is often difficult to distinguish COVID-19 from the flu, the best way to determine your child’s course of care is for them to get tested. We recommend that anyone who is experiencing the symptoms above isolate following the guidance here.

If someone in the household becomes ill, it is safest to keep them separate from other family members and have them stay in a specific room and use their own bathroom if possible. You might consider designating one adult to care for a sick child if there are multiple children in the home. For more information on caring for someone with COVID-19, see here.

While several prescription antiviral drugs have been approved by the FDA to treat the flu, most kids with the flu have mild illness and do not need medical care or antiviral drugs. In most cases your child should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to get medical care. Your child should rest, stay hydrated and take a fever-reducing medicine like ibuprofen or acetaminophen (Tylenol) if they need to. It’s important to note that children under 19 years old should not use aspirin unless directed to do so by their medical provider. And remember, antibiotics won’t help your child recover from the flu.

Antiviral medications, such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu), baloxavir (Xofluza), or the inhaled drug zanamivir (Relenza), offer little benefit for most healthy adults and children so we don’t routinely recommend antiviral medication except under certain circumstances. Antiviral medication may be considered for kids who are very sick with the flu and those who are at risk of developing serious flu complications (children under 2 years or because of a chronic health condition). Your healthcare provider may also recommend antiviral medication for your child with the flu if there is another child in the household that is at higher risk for severe illness from the flu. Antiviral medications can lessen the severity and shorten the duration of symptoms if given within 48 hours of the illness. However, they are not effective if they are started longer than 48 hours after the onset of symptoms.

Sometimes these medicines are also used as prophylaxis to prevent a child from getting sick if they have been in close contact with someone who has the flu. This is usually only recommended for kids at risk for serious illness. Some side effects of these medications include nausea, diarrhea, and headache.

If you’re unsure if it is recommended for your child to take antiviral medication, or you have additional questions, please contact a member of your care team.