Apart from flu season making its presence felt in this here house, It’s been a tough few days on other fronts as well, I will go into detail about that later, but for now, let’s focus on the fact that both Aidan and I have felt like regurgitated death for almost a week.

Nothing says mom life, like the feeling of drowning inside your own head while your child cries in your arms and vomits into your uggs…lovely visual right? The question that comes up most often at this moment  (apart from; Lord why have you forsaken me?) is: “Do these symptoms warrant a trip to the doctor?”

Well, Clicks sent me some flu information – honestly I get tons of press releases daily and often I just move on with my life-  but this specific release had some great info so I thought I’d share.  I was especially prompted to share when I realised Rob is the only one in the house that got the vaccination (Covered by most medical aids and R69.95 cash at Clicks Pharmacy) and is also the only one not knee deep in used tissues.

So here are some answers to Flu questions you did not even know you had:

(Questions answered by Clicks Pharmacist Waheed Abduhrahman)

From what age is the vaccination recommended

• • The flu vaccine is recommended for children aged between 6 months and five years. Even if your child had a flu shot last year, it is important to get it again, so that he or she is protected throughout the flu season

What preventative measures should we be taking?

• • • • • Vaccinate
        • Wash hands frequently
        • Sneeze into tissues
        • Boost your immune system with supplements
        • Take vitamins
        • Avoid contact with those affected.

What is the difference between a cold and flu

Cold:

• • • A runny nose
    • Sneezing
    • Teary eyes
    • A headache
    • Post-Nasal Drip
    • It starts with nasal or throat symptoms and generally resolves within a few days.

Flu:

• • • A fever
    • muscle pain
    • joint pain
    • A headache
    • nausea
    • vomiting
    • loss of sense of smell and taste
    • lethargy

Signs to look out for in kids

• • • • Ear infection (pain in ear)
      •  Sinusitis (green/yellow mucus)
      • Bronchitis (severe coughing
      • Difficulty with breathing
      • Symptoms that are not improving or are worsening (more than 3 days)
      • Extreme tiredness or malaise
      • Loss of sense of smell and taste
      • Lethargy

What to do when your kids show symptoms

• • • • • Keep them at home
        •  Increase their fluid intake
        • Avoid sports and physically exerting activities
        • You can send them back to school once their sneezing or runny nose and fever have cleared.

What do I do if my sick child refuses to eat

• • Try a milkshake supplement, yogurt, sandwich, cup-a-soup or a multivitamin supplement, but if there’s any substantial loss of weight to see the doctor immediately.

Note: Anyone can get vaccinated, except babies younger than 6 months and anyone who already has a fever, has shown a past reaction to a vaccine or is allergic to eggs.“It’s simply impossible to get the flu shot from the vaccine, as the vaccine doesn’t contain the live flu virus. However, it takes up to two weeks for your body to develop antibodies to protect you from the flu, so you can pick up a cold or flu during this period if your immune system is low,” says Clicks Pharmacist Waheed Abduhrahman