H1N1 Swine Flu
A flu season of some kind is expected every year, with some being more severe than others. They are always concerning for parents of newborns and infants though, as young children are usually considered a high-risk group for complications from the flu.
Any surprises in a flu season get parents even more concerned. Shortages of flu shots, an early flu season, or a more severe flu season, etc., are all things that can get parents extra worried about their kids getting sick from the flu.
Antiviral medications, like Tamiflu and Relenza, can help treat the flu if they are started within two days of your child getting sick, but are now usually reserved for high-risk kids, including those under two years old and those with medical problems.
The appearance of the 2009 H1N1 swine flu strain is just the sort of surprise in a flu season that gets parents worried. As the 2009 H1N1 flu strain quickly spread around the world and became a pandemic, schools began to close to try and stop the swine flu from spreading, and because a swine flu vaccine was still months away, fear spread as quickly as the virus.
Fortunately, the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine was approved just as flu activity was peaking in October 2009 and this pandemic flu strain ended up causing more mild flu symptoms than many experts had predicted. Still, by February 2010, the CDC estimates that up to 28 million children may have been infected with swine flu, 125,000 may have been hospitalized, and 1,840 died from swine flu complications. The incorporation of the 2009 H1N1 swine flu strain into the 2010-2011 seasonal flu vaccine will hopefully mean that more kids will get vaccinated against the flu and prevent many of these infections and complications, especially since a flu shot is now recommended for all infants and children who are at least six months old.
