The symptoms of this new H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches,
headache, chills, and fatigue. A significant number of people also
have reported diarrhea and vomiting.
Most people who have been sick with this virus in the U.S. have recovered at home without
treatment. If your child has flu-like symptoms, please keep him or
her at home for seven days or for 24 hours after symptoms resolve,
unless given other instructions by your pediatrician or their staff.
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Like seasonal flu, complications can
occur with novel H1N1 flu. Seek emergency medical care if your child
becomes ill and experiences any of the following warning signs:
-
Fast breathing.
-
Trouble breathing.
-
Bluish or gray skin
color.
-
Not drinking enough
fluids.
-
Not urinating as
much as usual.
-
Severe or
persistent vomiting.
-
Not waking up or
interacting as usual.
-
Being so irritable
that your child does not even want to be held.
-
Fever returns after being absent for a
day, or a significant change in fever pattern occurs. For
example, it was 101 degrees Fahrenheit for several days and now
it's 103 degrees.
Again, seek emergency medical care if your child becomes ill and
experiences any of those warning signs.
It's important that your child not be exposed to other children
who are sick and that if your child has a flu-like illness, that he
or she does not expose other people, in order to keep from spreading
illness.
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There are some things you can do to keep you and your child healthy:
-
Cover your nose
and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don't
have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your
hands. Put your used tissue in the wastebasket.
-
Wash hands often
with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. If
soap and water aren't available, use an alcohol-based hand
cleaner.
-
Avoid close
contact with sick people.
-
If you or your
child gets sick with a flu-like illness, stay home from work or
school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting
them.
-
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or
mouth. Germs spread this way.
If you'd like more information on novel H1N1 flu, visit
www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu.
[Information from
CDC]
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