Influenza (Flu)
What is influenza?
Influenza (or flu) is a highly contagious viral infection and is one of the most severe illnesses of the winter season. An estimated 10 to 20 percent of the population in the US contract influenza each year.
Influenza is a viral infection of the upper respiratory system, which includes the nose, bronchial tubes, and lungs. Influenza is characterized by the following:
- fever
- muscle aches
- sore throat
- nonproductive cough
Influenza can make people of any age ill. Although most people and children are ill with influenza for only a few days, some have a much more serious illness and may need to be hospitalized. Influenza may also lead to pneumonia and/or death.
What are the different types of influenza?
Influenza viruses are divided into three types designated as A, B, and C.
- Influenza types A and B are responsible for epidemics of respiratory
illness that occur almost every winter and are often associated with increased
rates of hospitalization and death. Efforts to control the impact of influenza
are focused on types A and B. One of the reasons the flu remains a problem
is because the viruses actually alter their structure, exposing adults
and children to new types of the virus each time.
- Influenza type C usually causes either a very mild respiratory illness
or no symptoms at all. It does not cause epidemics and does not have the
severe public health impact that influenza types A and B do.
Influenza viruses continually mutate or change, which enables the virus to evade the immune system of a child. People are susceptible to influenza infection throughout their lives. The process works as follows:
- A person infected with influenza virus develops antibody against that virus.
- The virus mutates or changes.
- The "older" antibody no longer recognizes the "newer" virus.
- Reinfection occurs.
The older antibody can, however, provide partial protection against reinfection. Currently, three different influenza strains circulate worldwide: two type A viruses and one type B. Type A viruses are divided into subtypes based on differences in two viral proteins called hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). The current subtypes of influenza A are designated A(H1N1), A(H3N2), and B(Hong Kong/330/2001-like virus strain).
What causes influenza?
An influenza virus is generally passed from person to person by airborne transmission. This means your child can contract the flu by coming in contact with airborne viruses from an affected person by way of sneezing and coughing. The virus can also live for a short time on objects such as doorknobs, pens/pencils, keyboards, telephone receivers, and eating or drinking utensils, for example. Therefore, it may also be spread when your child touches something that has been handled by someone infected with the virus and then your child touches his/her own mouth, nose, or eyes.
People are generally the most contagious with the flu 24 hours before they start having symptoms and during the time they have the most symptoms. That is why it is hard to prevent the spread of the flu, especially among children, because they do not always know they are sick while they are still spreading the disease. The risk of infecting others usually stops around the seventh day of the infection.
What are the symptoms of influenza?
The following are the most common symptoms of the flu. However, each child may experience symptoms differently.
Influenza is called a respiratory disease, but the whole body seems to suffer when a child has it. Children usually become suddenly ill with any or all of the following symptoms:
- fever, which may be as high as 103° F to 105° F
- aches and pains
- not feeling well "all over"
- headache
- cough that is nonproductive
- sore throat
- stuffy nose or clear nose
- worsening cough
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- fatigue
Most people recover from influenza within a week, but may be left feeling exhausted for as long as three to four weeks.
The symptoms of influenza may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Always consult your child's physician for a diagnosis.
How is a cold different from the flu?
A cold and the flu (influenza) are two different illnesses. A cold is relatively harmless and usually clears up by itself after a period of time, although sometimes it may lead to a secondary infection, such as an ear infection. However, the flu can lead to complications, such as pneumonia and even death. What may seem like a cold, could, in fact, be the flu. Be aware of these differences:
Prevention of influenza:
To prevent your child from current strains of influenza, you may consider an influenza vaccine (flu shot) .
Vaccine effectiveness:
According to the American Lung Association, an influenza vaccination is about 70 percent effective in preventing influenza, or reducing its severity, and is considered safe.
However, vaccine effectiveness varies from year to year, depending upon the degree of similarity between the influenza virus strains included in the vaccine and the strain or strains that circulate during the influenza season. Vaccine strains must be chosen nine to ten months before the influenza season. Sometimes, changes occur in the circulating strains of viruses between the time vaccine strains are chosen and the next influenza season. These changes may reduce the ability of the vaccine-induced-antibody to inhibit the newly mutated virus, thereby decreasing the chance that the vaccine will work.
Vaccine effectiveness also varies from one person to another, depending on factors such as age and overall health.
What are the side effects of the vaccine?
The most serious side effect that can occur after influenza vaccination is an allergic reaction in people who have a severe allergy to eggs. For this reason, children who have an allergy to eggs should not receive the influenza vaccine. According to the National Center for Infectious Diseases of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), influenza vaccine causes no side effects in most children who are not allergic to eggs.
Less than one-third of people who receive the vaccine experience some soreness at the vaccination site, and about 5 to 10 percent experience mild side effects, such as a headache or a low-grade fever for about a day after vaccination. Because these mild side effects mimic some influenza symptoms, some people believe influenza vaccine causes them to get influenza. However, according to the CDC, "influenza vaccine produced in the United States has never been capable of causing influenza because the only type of influenza vaccine that has been licensed in the United States to the present time is made from killed influenza viruses, which cannot cause infection."
Vaccine recommendations:
The recommendations for those who should have the influenza vaccine include the following:
- persons 65 years old or older (Vaccine effectiveness may be lower for
elderly persons, but it can significantly reduce their chances of serious
illness or death from influenza.)
- residents of nursing homes and any other chronic care facilities that
house persons of any age who have chronic medical conditions
- adults and children who have chronic disorders of the pulmonary or cardiovascular systems, including children with asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic lung disease of infancy (bronchopulmonary dysplasia, BPD)
- adults and children who have the following medical conditions:
- chronic metabolic diseases (i.e., diabetes)
- renal dysfunction
- immunosuppression
- hemoglobinopathies
- children and teenagers (aged 6 months to 18 years) receiving long-term aspirin therapy
- women who will be in their second or third trimester of pregnancy during the influenza (fall-winter) season (The flu vaccine may not be appropriate in all cases. Consult your physician for more information.)
In addition, the following groups should be vaccinated:
- healthcare providers
- employees of nursing homes and chronic care facilities who have contact
with patients or residents
- providers of home care to persons at high risk
- household members (including children) of persons in high-risk groups
- persons of any age who wish to decrease their chances of influenza infection, excluding persons who are allergic to eggs
In 2000, the CDC added all persons ages 50 to 64 to the list of individuals who should be vaccinated against the flu each year. One-quarter to one-third of individuals in this age group have at least one condition that puts them at higher risk.
Treatment for influenza:
Specific treatment for influenza will be determined by your child's physician based on:
- your child's age, overall health, and medical history
- extent of the condition
- your child's tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
- expectations for the course of the condition
- your opinion or preference
The goal of treatment for influenza is to help prevent or decrease the severity of symptoms. There is no cure for influenza. Treatment may include:
- medications to relieve aches and fever (Aspirin should not be given
to children with a fever without first consulting your child's physician.).
The drug of choice for children would be acetaminophen (Tylenol).
- medications used for congestion and nasal discharge
- bed rest
- increased fluid intake
- medication for your child's cough may be prescribed by your child's physician after a thorough evaluation
There are also new medications that help to decrease the effects of viruses in influenza A, but not type B. Two types of these medications are:
- amantadine
- rimantadine
The medications may help to shorten the duration of the illness and to decrease the severity of the flu, but do not cure the flu. Amantadine and rimantadine also appear to be 60 to 90 percent effective in preventing the flu in healthy people who have been exposed.
The following are some of the guidelines your child's physician may follow when using these medications:
- medication needs to be started very shortly after symptoms begin
- length of therapy will be determined by your child's physician
Amantadine is approved for children older than 1 year of age. Rimantadine was approved in 1993 for treatment and prophylaxis in adults, but was approved only for prophylaxis in children, according to the CDC.
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Department of Infectious Diseases
Driscoll Children’s Hospital
3533 S. Alameda Street
Corpus Christi, Texas 78411
For consultation, appointments, and assistance: 800 / 700-8846.
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