Between 5%-20% of the population in the United States succumbs to the flu each year, which can hit children particularly hard. At Elk Grove Pediatrics, Rahat Saied, MD, offers comprehensive flu services that include treatment and, perhaps more important, prevention. If you’re in Elk Grove, California, and you’d like to learn how you can better protect your child from the flu, or address it once it’s taken hold, call or use the online booking tool.
The flu, which is short for influenza, makes its rounds each year in the United States, causing misery among those who are affected, especially children. The flu is a viral respiratory illness that’s highly contagious as it’s transmitted from child to child through airborne droplets.
The flu typically comes on very quickly, and the symptoms include:
While many of these symptoms are found in colds, the big difference is that flu symptoms come on abruptly, and they’re more severe than they are with a common cold.
Most children who get the flu suffer through a few days of misery (though it can last a week or more) and gradually get better. But the flu can be dangerous for kids who have pre-existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma or allergies.
If your child displays any of the following symptoms, it’s important to seek emergency medical care as quickly as possible:
If your child’s symptoms are less severe but persistent, or if complications like ear infections develop, you’d do well to make an appointment with Dr. Saied.
When you come in to see Dr. Saied, he first confirms the flu and then gives you a few recommendations in order to ease your child’s symptoms, such as:
The care you give at home will keep your child comfortable as the flu runs its course.
One of the best ways to fight the flu is to not have to treat it at all, which is why Dr. Saied offers the annual flu vaccine to his young patients. The flu vaccine is safe for children 6 months and older, and the CDC recommends that children and adults be vaccinated annually. This simple step offers a protection rate of up to 60%, making it well worth your while to protect your family from the flu each year.
For more on treating, or preventing, the flu, call Elk Grove Pediatrics or set up an appointment using the online booking tool.
