Children are more vulnerable to the flu – here's what to watch for this winter

A ten-year-old boy from Perth is the last Australian child to die of flu suspicion this year. This follows the deaths of three Victorian children and one teenager in South Australia.

Influenza-related deaths in children are rare. Despite this, influenza is the most common cause of vaccine preventable deaths – more common than meningococcal disease or pertussis (whooping cough).

On average, between five and ten Australian children would die of influenza each year. Tragically, many deaths from influenza occur in previously healthy children.

Vaccination often helps prevent these deaths: Australian researchers have badyzed that, among children who died of influenza in New South Wales in the ten years prior to 2014, none of these deaths occurred. had been vaccinated.

More cases and bigger damage

The influenza virus spreads primarily into droplets created when people who have the flu cough or sneeze. The virus can also live on objects affected by seized people, seized by the hands of other people.

Children are more likely to contract and spread the flu: they have high volumes of virus in their nasal secretions and, after infection, excrete it for several days. They also have poorer hygiene practices, which often cough and jostle closer to their loved ones.

For many young children with flu, it is the first time that they are exposed to the virus. Their immune system is naive against the flu and therefore responds more slowly to infection. This means that the influenza virus can have significant adverse effects before the immune system can control it.

Thousands of children who contract the flu are hospitalized each year; hospitalization rates in children are much higher than in the elderly. Children under five are the age group most likely to be hospitalized.

Although children with underlying medical conditions, including chronic disorders of the heart, lungs, nervous system and immune system, are the most sensitive, more than half of the children admitted to the hospital each year are healthy.

What should you look for?

The flu most commonly causes fever, cough, headache, sore throat and runny nose. The virus can also infect the lungs and cause pneumonia.

Some children react to the infection by developing vomiting, diarrhea and muscle aches.

Many parents are unaware that the flu can also cause damage to the brain, heart, kidneys and muscles. It is not known why these complications occur in some children and not in others, but they can be serious.

Young children develop frequent infections and often develop symptoms that are difficult to distinguish from influenza. Tests on a nose or throat swab can be done to confirm if the disease is caused by the flu virus.

Parents should consult a doctor if their child:

• has difficulty breathing (breathe quickly or draws in the muscles of the chest or neck)
• vomits and refuses to drink
• is more sleepy than normal
• has a pain that does not improve with simple pain medications.

More importantly, if you are worried about your child during the flu season, consult a doctor.

How does this year's season compare?

Australia has had an unusual start with the 2019 influenza season, with more cases than expected during the warmer months.

The number of influenza cases diagnosed each week is currently higher than that of 2017 and the 2009 swine flu pandemic.

In 2017, Australia experienced its worst flu season ever recorded. Influenza has been diagnosed in over 220,000 Australians, whose health departments and hospitals were inundated with children, adults, and elderly people suffering from the effects of influenza.

The stories of healthy young people succumbing to the flu were particularly heartbreaking.

Although it is never possible to predict what will happen in the coming months, several measurements indicate an above-average influenza season in 2019.

How can I protect my children?

Vaccination is recommended for all Australians from six months of age.

It is free for all children aged six months to less than five years old, those with certain medical risk factors, including severe asthma and chronic heart, respiratory, neurological and immune diseases, all Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islanders, pregnant women and the elderly. 65 and over.

People who are too young to be vaccinated (children five months old and under) are protected by their mother's vaccination during pregnancy.

You can have your family vaccinated at your general practice, board, community health center, or aboriginal health unit.

If you or your child are not eligible for a free flu shot, the usual cost of the vaccine is about 20 Australian dollars.

As the virus is constantly changing, the effectiveness of the vaccine can vary each year. Australian research has shown that the risk of influenza is reduced by an average of 50 to 60% in vaccinated children.

This may mean that some vaccinated children will still have the flu. However, some evidence suggests that the disease will be less severe if you catch it and have been vaccinated.

It is impossible to predict who will catch the flu or develop complications, but vaccination remains the most effective and safest tool to protect children from getting the flu.

Influenza immunization programs in children have the added benefit of reducing influenza in community members who are not immunized by reducing the spread of the virus. This is known as "herd immunity" or "community" and in particular helps to protect vulnerable people who may be seriously affected by the flu.

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.