Influenza: A cause of concern for both children and adults

“Health is not valued until sickness comes.” This beautiful quote by Thomas Fuller is a gentle reminder to all of us. As parents, we are always vigilant toward our kids’ health, telling them to be careful and follow hygiene protocols so they don’t fall sick. But have we ever pondered, do only children need to be careful? Shouldn’t adults be careful too? 

Because when we fall sick, the chances of our child getting that infection from us is higher. Not only do children need to #FightAgainstFlu, but adults also need to.

Before we get to how you can protect yourself from the flu, let us understand what is flu or influenza and how it can affect our health.

What is Influenza or flu?

Influenza is a respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus that if not treated properly, can lead to serious complications.1

What do experts say about influenza?

To understand Influenza we attended the FB live session where Dr. Mangesh Tiwaskar and Dr. Sadanand S. Shetye discussed various aspects of the flu and flu shots. They explained how adults are at the same risk as kids for the infection of the flu and how adults' health and other medical conditions affect it.

Who is at risk from influenza?

As we mentioned above, influenza (flu) is a potentially serious disease that can affect not only kids but also adults. According to reports on average a child falls sick four times a year and adults twice a year and the timing coincidences with the seasonal change.2 

Who is at risk?

• Pregnant women,3

• Children below 5 years of age,3

• Elderly above 60 years of age,3

• Patients with preexisting health conditions like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes3 

The seasonal flu affects your body and sometimes also hampers other health conditions in adults and affects the growth in kids.

Thus, we need a way to #FightAgainstFlu. 

Precautions to keep in mind

Here are some precautions to keep in mind to protect yourself and your children from the flu:4

Maintain hygiene: Don’t forget the good habits that we became used to in the past 2 years. Wash your hands with soap and water or sanitize them. 

Don’t touch your face: Germs enter our body through the nose, eyes and mouth. While washing hands is helpful, we also cannot avoid touching surfaces. So, the best way to avoid transferring germs from your hands is to avoid touching your face.

Get vaccinated: Annual vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from the flu, especially for people who fall under the at-risk category.

Stay at home and stay away from sick people: Do your social responsibility – stay at home if you feel you’re coming down with something. Keep away from the vulnerable age groups so you don’t give them your infection.    

Final Thought

We have to stay safe and care for the family at the same time. Joyce Meyer's quote sets the right motive to lead a healthy happy life with family, “I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you.” One should not take cough and running nose lightly in the period of season change. Vaccinating ourselves with flu shots not only reduces the severity of flu illness but also certainly decreases the associated risks.1

Proper awareness about the disease and adopting preventive measures ensure a safety cover around us. And if you were under impression that flu shots are only for kids, then check the facts and the stats that say adults are also at risk for influenza and require yearly flu shots to stop the spread of Influenza and win the #FightAgainstFlu to lead a happy healthy life.

References

1. https://www.healthshots.com/preventive-care/self-care/side-effects-of-season-change-on-health-and-tips-to-handle-it/

2. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/keyfacts.htm#flu-vaccination

3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/in-depth/flu-shots/art-20048000

4. https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/five-simple-steps-to-protect-against-flu