H1N1:  A Younger Person’s Flu

By: Kara Winerman

 One of the most striking things about the H1N1 virus is the major effect it has had on young adults and children. Typically, most serious complications and deaths during flu season occur in adults over the age of 65; however, with H1N1, the majority of deaths have been in people under the age of 65. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of the end of October there were 114 deaths from H1N1 confirmed among children. That is why children and young adults between the ages of 6 months and 24 years are in one of the priority groups to receive the H1N1 vaccine.

 So what many people are asking in the midst of the H1N1 pandemic is how safe is the vaccine?  According to both the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO), the studies conducted so far have shown that the pandemic vaccines have the same safety record as the seasonal flu vaccines. Any side effects from the pandemic vaccines are also similar to those from the seasonal vaccines, and so unless a person suffers from severe allergies to eggs or other substances in the vaccine, then it is strongly recommended that everyone, particularly children and young adults (and pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions) receive the pandemic vaccine.

In addition to getting vaccinated, it is important that children practice good health behaviors to prevent contracting H1N1. Parents and teachers should both inform children about prevention methods and model these behaviors to make them routines in the home and in the classroom. Prevention behaviors include sneezing/coughing into a tissue instead of one’s hands and then immediately throwing the tissue away, washing hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water, and staying home from school when sick. These prevention behaviors, along with general good health behaviors, such as eating well and getting plenty of physical activity, should be modeled by adults and incorporated into a normal routine for children. That way they become standard practices that don’t panic children about swine flu, but rather set them up to prevent the spread of even seasonal flu and the common cold, and make them all-around healthier individuals.