Moms: 3 Steps to Take to Battle the Flu Season!

As moms it is important to stay up to date with the latest health information for our kids. As a mom myself with great interest in keeping my kids healthy and safe I have found two articles highlighting the reality of Flu season this year.

 In Kelsey Garcia’s  article, titled “The CDC Issues a Warning About this Year’s Especially Dangerous Flu Strain”  she highlights the findings from the CDC of why the flu season has been particularly bad this year. The director of the influenza division at the CDC, Dr. Daniel B. Jernigan, described this year’s dominant strain, H3N2, as “a virus that, whenever it shows up, it causes lots of disease, lots of hospitalizations, lots of cases, and lots of deaths.” As to reasons why there has been such a sudden and widespread appearance of this strain Dr. Jernigan believes it may have been compounded by holiday travel. To learn more about the ongoing flu season and how to protect yourself and your loved ones, visit the CDC website.

http://bit.ly/2EwQMFh

 In Ashley Austrew’s article, titled “Toddler’s Tragic Flu Death Sparks Urgent Warnings to Get Kids Vaccinated”   she states that in Orange County, California a toddler that was not vaccinated against the flu but was otherwise healthy died from complications related to the Influenza A virus. This is the first flu death in a person under 65 years of age for 2017. According to CBS LA, Orange County already has 92 confirmed cases of the flu vs 17 confirmed cases at the same time last year. Austrew states that in 2016 101 kids died of the flu and that it is more dangerous for kids under 5. She states that the flu vaccine can cut the risk of getting the flu by 51% in high risk kids and 65% in kids with no other medical condition.

From my review of these two articles and my experience as a mom, I have listed three actions that you should take to ensure the health of your kids:

·         Get the Shot! – Make sure your kids get a flu shot as well as are up to date with all their other vaccinations.

·         If Sick, Stay Home – if you notice any symptoms in your kids or if they aren’t feeling well keep them home until they are better.

·         Practice Good Hygiene – make sure to always wash your hands as well as your kids’ hands and use hand sanitizer often.

The flu will continue to be an issue come every winter season but if as a mom you are proactive with getting them the flu shot early you will be able to ensure their safety and health.

My name is Karla Cronenbold and I am a marketing professional, first time mom, and writer of morning with mommy blog. This is an assignment for my Social Media Specialization course with Coursera. You can find me on Twitter @karlacronenbold