Children and the Flu Vaccine

When to get children vaccinated:

The best time to get vaccinated is October or November. Children six months to 9 years of age getting a flu shot for the first time will need two doses of vaccine the first year they are vaccinated, with the first dose ideally in September. The second dose should be given 28 or more days after the first dose. The first dose “primes” the immune system; the second dose provides immune protection. Keep this in mind if your child needs the two doses -begin the process early! It usually takes about two weeks after the second dose for protection to begin.

Because flu viruses change every year, the vaccine is updated annually. So even if you or your children got a flu shot last year, you both still need to get a flu shot this season to be protected. If October and November slip by, and you haven ’t gotten your children or yourself vaccinated, you should get vaccinated in December or later. Flu season can occur anytime from November through April, so getting the vaccine in December or later still offers protection in most years.

Visit the CDC’s website for more information:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/parents/index.htm

Contact your child’s physician for help in deciding if the flu vaccine is right for your child.

Poison Prevention and Treatment Tips

National Poison Prevention Week
March 16 - 22, 2008

Each year, approximately 2.4 million people - more than half under age 6 - swallow or have contact with a poisonous substance. As poison prevention, and appropriate, immediate treatment to poison contact or ingestion, is critical to keeping your child safe, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has some important tips.

To poison proof your home:

Most poisonings occur when parents or caregivers are home but not paying attention. The most dangerous potential poisons are medicines, cleaning products, antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, pesticides, furniture polish, gasoline, kerosene and lamp oil. Be especially vigilant when there is a change in routine. Holidays, visits to and from grandparents' homes, and other special events may bring greater risk of poisoning if the usual safeguards are defeated or not in place.

·  Store medicine, cleaners, paints/varnishes and pesticides in their original packaging in locked cabinets or containers, out of sight and reach of children.

·  Install a safety latch - that locks when you close the door - on child-accessible cabinets containing harmful products.

·  Purchase and keep all medicines in containers with safety caps. Discard unused medication.

·  Never refer to medicine as "candy" or another appealing name.

·  Check the label each time you give a child medicine to ensure proper dosage.

·  Never place poisonous products in food or drink containers.

·  Keep coal, wood or kerosene stoves in safe working order.

·  Maintain working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Treatment

If your child is unconscious, not breathing, or having convulsions or seizures due to poison contact or ingestion, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. If your child has come in contact with poison, and has mild or no symptoms, call your poison control center at 1-800-222-1222

Different types and methods of poisoning require different, immediate treatment:

·  Swallowed poison - Remove the item from the child, and have the child spit out any remaining substance. Do not make your child vomit. Do not use syrup of ipecac.

·  Skin poison -- Remove the child's clothes and rinse the skin with lukewarm water for at least 15 minutes.

·  Eye poison -- Flush the child's eye by holding the eyelid open and pouring a steady stream of room temperature water into the inner corner.

·  Poisonous fumes - Take the child outside or into fresh air immediately. If the child has stopped breathing, start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and do not stop until the child breathes on his or her own, or until someone can take over.

© American Academy of Pediatrics, 2/08