In addition to running Doodlestix, Richard and I are both pharmacists. I still work within the industry as a Director of Medical Information and Richard is the Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Lipscomb University. We thought with many parents preparing their children for the return to school this Fall and the rapidly approaching flu season, we’d put on our pharmacist hats and share some information we hope will be useful and keep your families healthy this Fall!

You’ve already heard a lot about Swine Flu, also known as H1N1 influenza. Schools and daycare are normally where the flu can really take off like a wild fire. What’s worrisome about the H1N1 virus is that hardly anyone has any immunity to it so if you’re exposed, you’re likely to get sick. We’ve seen more cases this summer than usual and that’s concerning because summer time is usually a quiet time for the flu. The good news is that this flu doesn’t seem as bad as some strains, though it still can be very dangerous.

What can you do to protect your child? At the moment, the H1N1 vaccine is not yet ready, but you can do these things:

• Clean your hands often and cover your coughs and sneezes
• Tell your child to:
  1. Stay away from people who are sick
  2. Clean hands often
  3. Keep hands away from face
  4. Cover coughs and sneezes to protect others (it’s best to use a tissue and throw it away).
• Call or take your child to a doctor right away if your child:
  • has a high fever or fever that lasts a long time
  • has trouble breathing or breathes fast
  • has skin that looks blue
  • is not drinking enough
  • seems confused, will not wake up, does not want to be held, or has seizures (uncontrolled shaking)
  • gets better but then worse again
  • has other conditions (like heart or lung disease, diabetes) that get worse
• If your child is sick with a bad cold or the flu, your child should stay home to rest and to avoid giving the flu to other children.
• Your child can go back to school after his or her temperature has been normal for 24 hours.
• Your child may be prescribed Tamiflu or Relenza to shorten the course of the flu by a day or so. If your child has asthma, Relenza should not be used.

We recommend you head over to the Centers for Disease Control’s website where they have a page with Advice for Parents on Talking to Children About Novel H1N1 Flu (Formerly Swine Flu) Concerns. Be sure to check the CDC’s website throughout the Fall as they’ll probably be the best source of information to keep you up-to-date on flu information.

All of the staff at Doodlestix wishes all of the kids returning to school in the coming days and weeks a happy (and healthy) Fall!

Until next time,
Bob