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A Practical Guide For Parents
When our kids are not feeling well it’s the worst. I personally feel so helpless when all I want to do is make my children feel better. Worse yet – God forbid I get sick because then the whole ship sinks and my family is living in squalor and fighting over the last salty cracker left in the cupboard. Did you know that there are real and practical ways you can avoid getting sick during the cold and flu season? We’ve got a practical guide for parents on ways to staying well this cold and flu season that not only makes sense, but is totally doable too.
I know a lot of people claim to have the best “guide” for parents, however, you can trust us on this one. I recently had a conversation with highly acclaimed Kaiser Permanente Orange County Dr. Wendy Coling. During our conversation, Dr. Coling gave me some very useful and practical advice about staying well this cold and flu season that I would love to share with you.
What are the best ways to prevent the flu?
- Get a Flu Vaccine
- Get good rest
- Wash Your Hands
- Don’t touch your face!
- Frequently clean surfaces in your home with Clorox wipes or a similar disinfectant:
- Door knobs
- toilet seats
- kitchen and bathroom counters
- trash can lids
- tables
- any and everything else!
- Stay home if you are sick
- Wear a mask if you are sick and you must go in public
Sounds easy enough right? The most important piece of information about staying well is understanding how viruses are spread.
The flu virus is spread by contact with mucus membranes = respiratory droplets in the air = sneezing and coughing!
When you understand that the flu and colds are spread by affected people sneezing and coughing and releasing respiratory droplets in the air, it’s easy to understand that we should wash our hands often and not touch our face.
Common Misconceptions about the Flu Vaccine
There are many misconceptions about the flu vaccine. We’re here to break them!
Common Misconception #1: The flu vaccine gives you the flu.
However, no matter what you’ve heard from other unreliable sources, you cannot under any circumstances get the flu from a flu vaccine. The components in the flu vaccine are not active components and cannot give you the flu. However, a common side effect of the flu vaccine is soreness in the injection spot and mild achiness.
Common Misconception #2: The flu vaccine doesn’t work.
Not only does the flu vaccine work, it is 60% effective –> which is a crazy high statistic. The flu vaccine can prevent you from getting the flu and can reduce the length and severity of the flu in case you do get it.
Common Misconception #3: I never get the flu, so I don’t need a shot.
Even healthy people get sick. Not only can the flu vaccine prevent you from getting the flu, it can also reduce the length and severity as well. Did you know that 1 in 3 people get the flu with no symptoms and just spread the flu? Protect your family and friends and get the flu vaccine!
Common Misconception #4: The flu isn’t a big deal.
Guess what? The flu is. a. big. deal. According to Dr. Coling it is calculated that approximately 200,000 people are hospitalized every year with the flu and approximately 80,000 people died last year in the U.S.from the flu and its complications.
Common Misconception #5: I can’t get the flu vaccine while I’m sick.
I personally believed this misconception myself until I went to my Kaiser Permanente Orange County PCP in Anaheim and he said I could still get the flu vaccine even though I was sick. It was a relief to hear!
Common Misconception #6: I can’t get the flu vaccine because I’m allergic to eggs.
It was once believed that those with egg allergies could not get the flu vaccine for fear of a reaction. However, it is now found that only those with a history of genuine flu vaccine allergy or a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome should avoid the flu vaccine and those with egg allergies are safe.
Stay healthy my funny friends!
To learn more about this topic, log on to Kaiser Permanente Orange County.
I know everyone and their cousin has suggestions but I’m gonna add – even if you don’t wash all your bedsheets wash your pillowcases more often when sick !! Think about it, you’re smashing your coughing sneezing face into your pillow !