Influenza is a disease commonly called as flu. In this condition, a person experiences an abrupt start of fever. He also suffers from sore throat, cough, body aches including headache. When children are affected by this disease, they also experience diarrhea, dehydration and nausea.
There are two common types of flu namely the seasonal flu and the pandemic flu.
Seasonal Flu
• Occurs at a certain duration (annually, summer, winter)
• In the U.S., 36,000 people suffering from this disease die per year.
• Antiviral are available in the market
• Vaccine is available
• Symptoms are fever, muscular pain, coughing, runny nose
• Can lead to a complication called pneumonia which is the usual cause of deaths
• Just gives minor impact on world economy and society
Pandemic Flu
• Very rare
• Just occurred about three times in the 20th century
• Last occurrence is 1968
• Antivirals are limited
• Vaccine is unavailable in the start of the pandemic flu
• Deaths are high. In the U.S in 1918, approximately 500,000 people died.
• Symptoms are more severe
• Leads to complications more often
• Potential threat for the world economy and society
Here are some suggestions in attending to this kind of disease.
• Wash your hands often with soap and lukewarm water. This should be done for about 15 to 20 seconds. Children should be supervised and aided to guarantee proper hand washing. Washing your hand after wiping your nose or other people’s nose is very important.
• A regular check-up of the restrooms should be done in order to make sure that clean towels and soap are always available.
• When a child, staff or a volunteer is believed to have acquired flu, he or she should not go to the day care.
• When you or the children sneeze or cough, make sure that you cover your mouth. This is done in order to prevent flu from spreading and affecting other people. If a restroom is not available at the moment, wash your hands clean using your hand sanitizer or your isopropyl alcohol.
• To prevent the occurrence of disease most especially in pregnant women and children at a very young age (from 6 months to 59 months), they should get a flu shot.
• It is advised that you have your own utensils when you eat or drink. Sharing of glasses, spoons and forks also means the sharing of saliva which allows the spread of the disease.
• Make sure that door handles and other commonly used surfaces in the area are clean. Frequently wipe or clean them using disinfectants and cleaning solvents.
• When there is an outbreak of flu, day care facilities is suggested to remain open.
For more:
How to start a daycare Center by StartADaycare.org
