With flu season upon us, here are some tips to keep you and your family healthy through the winter months.
* New recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control say that healthy babies ages 6-23 months should receive flu vaccinations.
This is a change from the previous recommendation that only children at high risk should receive the vaccine. The new recommendation is prompted by data showing that children ages 6-23 months are at a substantially increased risk for influenza-related hospitalizations.
The flu vaccine is probably the most underused vaccine in pediatrics, according to Drs. Paul A. Offit and Louis M. Bell, authors of What Every Parent Should Know About Vaccines.
While physicians generally recommend getting a flu shot in October or November -- before the start of the flu season this month -- it's not too late to get the shot right now, because flu season generally continues through March. The vaccine takes about two weeks to become fully effective.
To determine whether the immunization is appropriate for your child, talk with your child's doctor. For more information, visit www. cdc.gov / nip (click on "flu vaccine update) or www.aap.org (enter keyword "flu"). Or call the Centers for Disease Control's National Immuni-zation Information Hotline at 800-232-2522.
* Drinking lots of water during the winter can help keep airborne cold and flu viruses at bay, according to Liz Russell, a dietitian at Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus. Staying well hydrated helps keep the mucous membranes in the nose moist and helps filter the particles and germs that can cause upper-respiratory infections, she says.
* Should you skip the gym when you have a cold? Researchers at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., examined 50 people who were inoculated with a cold virus.
They then compared symptoms of 34 people who exercised moderately with 16 who didn't, and determined it was safe to exercise with above-the-neck symptoms (runny nose, sneezing, scratchy throat). But fever, muscle aches or a phlegm-producing cough should keep you sidelined, because exercising with these conditions can lead to dehydration, heat stroke or even heart failure, according to the researchers. After you recover, resume exercise gradually, they add.
* Doctors can now prescribe several different flu-fighting medications (for adults and children over age 12) that can help ease flu symptoms and can hasten recovery by a few days.
Relenza, which comes in powdered form, is inhaled through the mouth. It is the first drug approved in the United States for treating both influenza A and B. Tamiflu comes in pill form. It is used for treating influenza A or B. Fluma-dine and Symmetrel both come in pill form. They fight influenza A only.
To be effective, these medications must be taken within two days of the onset of symptoms. Also, they aren't cheap. The drugs cost $40 to $50 for a typical course of treatment and generally aren't covered by insurance. So you'll want to talk with your doctor to decide whether they're right for you or your child.
For kids under age 12, who aren't old enough to take the new medications (and for anyone with the flu, whether or not they're taking anti-flu drugs), standard flu-treatment advice still applies: Rest, drink plenty of fluids, take fever-reducing medication if necessary, and call your doctor if symptoms persist or worsen.
Note: Aspirin should not be given to children or teen-agers because of the risk of Reye's syndrome, a potentially serious illness that can lead to brain damage or death, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAP recommends giving acetaminophen instead.
* Instant hand sanitizers are everywhere, it seems. But do they work? Recently, students at an elementary school in Cypress, Calif., participated in a 12-week clinical study conducted by Woodward Labs, developer of a hand-sanitizer product. Using the hand sanitizer reduced student absences due to gastrointestinal and respiratory illness by 41 percent, according to the study.
Of course, good old-fashioned (and cheap) hand washing also does the trick. And it's still the best way to prevent the spread of infections and disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.