Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment for the Swine Flu
Moms of infants are generally hyperaware of germs and keeping their baby healthy anyway, but when something like the swine flu becomes headline news, it's hard not to panic just a little bit. However, knowing how to lower the chance of you or your baby becoming infected will go a long way to help prevent further spread of the swine flu – and give you peace of mind.
When the virus that causes swine flu in pigs combines with human influenza virus and then mutates to allow itself to infect humans, we're left with a new strain of flu. Swine flu, like other flu viruses, is an airborne illness spread through the respiratory tract. The symptoms of swine flu are similar to other influenza illnesses, including high fever, body aches, headaches, coughing, sore throat, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue and chills.
Dr. Heather Armstrong, an emergency medicine pediatrician in Florida, adds that infants may not have all of these symptoms but may manifest fever, irritability, poor appetite, cough or diarrhea.
"We don't know yet if swine flu will behave exactly like seasonal flu, but most doctors assume that children, especially infants, the elderly and people with chronic medical conditions like asthma or heart disease will be more severely affected," says Dr. Armstrong. "As with all flu, the risk is especially great for babies less than 6 months old."
The younger the child, the more susceptible they are to any illness, including the flu. "A newborn has not had any experience being exposed to germs which strengthen the immune response, nor [have they] had any vaccines and are at higher risk," says Dr. Armstrong.
It's important to remember that any flu, either "typical" or swine flu, has the potential for serious illness in infants that may warrant hospitalization or even cause death. "In any situation, a fever should be taken seriously in an infant under 2 months and warrants medical attention," says Dr. Armstrong.
Dr. Belilovsky recommends seeking medical attention if you notice your baby has a fever, cough, poor appetite, is cranky or lethargic, or appears sick and run-down.
Flu viruses are spread most often by coughing and sneezing or by touching surfaces that have been coughed or sneezed on – including tabletops, hands, money and even grocery carts.
Prevention basics for swine flu are the same as for any other flu, according to Dr. Armstrong. They include the following:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. (Additionally, don't handle used tissues, such as those of your children.)
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. Wash your hands after you blow your nose, touch your mouth or wipe mucous from your child's nose.
Though Kari Matthews of Rossville, Ill., home schools her older boys, which limits their exposure to other kids, she knows she must still be careful about what they are exposed to when they are in public. Whatever they touch can be transmitted to their baby sister. So she follows many of the above recommendations.
"We are very careful to wash our hands, to carry boxes of tissues, to have the discipline to keep our hands away from our faces, and to skip shaking hands with people in public, like at church," says Matthews. "I generally follow these guidelines anyway, but during a scare like this potential swine flu pandemic, I am extra-vigilant."
It's not always possible to remain as isolated as we'd like. Parents still need to work, and many kids spend time in school or daycare. "Influenza spreads most rapidly within schools and daycares because children have poorer hand-washing skills and share drinks and mouth objects," says pediatrician Dr. Melanie E. Mouzoon, who is also director of immunization practices and travel medicine at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in Houston, Texas.
For unavoidable times, like grocery shopping, where infants and toddlers have a habit of touching or tasting everything in sight, you may have to step up your efforts. "I have purchased a cart liner for the baby," Matthews says. "She is 16 months old, and she loves it. It is a large padded blanket with leg holes that fits in carts and highchairs. I use it every time we need to take the baby into a store or restaurant, and we wash it often. It covers every surface that the baby can reach, so I can shop relatively worry free."
Nursing mothers may offer a bit of extra protection to their infants, but may still need a bit of a boost. "Vitamins A and D should be supplemented in mothers, especially those who are breastfeeding babies over 2 months old, as they are vital in maintaining appropriate immune response, and are most often deficient," says Dr. Belilovsky.
Again, while care is necessary, panic is counterproductive. "Despite the warnings, I don't feel as though I need to be on any sort of lockdown," says Sara Abbott, a mom from Boston, Mass., who not only has a 13-month-old but is pregnant with her second child. "Local reports indicate there's likely already a strain of swine flu in the Boston area anyway, so I've decided to stay out of Boston proper and keep closer to home."
Previously Tamiflu has only been approved for use in children over the age of 1 year. However, in situations such as the current swine flu pandemic, it is considered a special circumstance. An Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) has been issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to allow use of Tamiflu in treatment of children under the age of 1. Again, this is something you would have to discuss with your doctor in the event your baby becomes infected with the flu.
"This situation is changing daily, so even if you have read up on it recently, keep checking," Dr. Mouzoon says. She recommends checking the swine flu page at www.cdc.gov.
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