Health Tip: Protect Your Child From Flu
Children are in constant contact with germs, and can easily spread them to others. Flu is a particularly nasty nemesis, but it can be prevented.
Here are ways to help reduce your child's risk of getting the flu, courtesy of the Children's Hospital at the University of California, San Francisco:
* Flu vaccine is recommended for all healthy children aged 6 months to 5 years.
* Hand washing also is an easy way to help prevent flu. Your child should wash her hands thoroughly and frequently, with soap and warm water.
* Parents and caregivers should also should wash their hands often, and get a flu vaccine.
* Teach your child to cover her mouth when she coughs or sneezes, and to wash her hands afterward.
* Try to keep your child away from others who are sick. Keep her home from school if she has symptoms of a cold or the flu.
Health Tip: Help Prevent Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a respiratory infection, caused by either bacteria or a virus, that can be acquired on its own, or as a common complication of the flu.
A vaccine is available to combat pneumococcal pneumonia, a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria. Ask your doctor if you are at greater risk of this type of pneumonia, and if you should be vaccinated.
Here are additional ways to help protect yourself from pneumonia, courtesy of the American Lung Association:
* Get a flu vaccine every flu season.
* If you notice respiratory symptoms that last for several days, seek treatment at once.
* Get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly, and maintain a healthy diet.
* If you are taking antibiotics for any bacterial infection, be sure to finish the entire prescription.
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