Cold and flu season is nobody’s favorite time of year, especially if you are a parent with small children. As the flu and common cold start going around schools and daycares, the chance that your kids will come home not feeling their best. Along with the “typical” influenza flu, you should also watch out for the stomach flu.
Influenza is a sickness that affects a person’s upper respiratory tract. Symptoms of the common flu include fever, fatigue, chills, body aches, sneezing, and a cough. The stomach flu, or gastroenteritis, is not actually related to influenza and is not a respiratory illness. Viral gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the intestinal tract and stomach and has very different symptoms, including nausea, abdominal cramps and pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. The stomach flu is the leading cause of diarrhea for both children and adults, and can quickly lead to dehydration.
The main reason that children are likely to catch the flu is because they are typically in close contact with their peers. The flu and the cold are generally spread by sneezing and coughing or sharing objects that have always been contaminated. On the other hand, the stomach flu is much more likely to be contracted by touching surfaces such as lunchroom trays or drinking fountains that have been contaminated. The virus will then enter the body when fingers touch the eyes, nose, or mouth.
Simple proper hand washing techniques can be enough to reduce infections by more than 30 percent. There are also many other steps that you can take to prevent the flu, including keeping your kids home from school when they are sick, covering sneezes and coughs, and avoiding contact with the mouth, nose, and eyes with unwashed hands.
For more cold and flu season tips to ensure that you and your kids continue to feel their best, contact Pediatric Surgical Associates in Orange County, California.