Colds and Flu
The common cold and the flu are caused by different respiratory viruses. Because they have similar symptoms it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the two, however the cold tends to cause a much milder illness then the flu.
Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days and often include a stuffy nose, sneezing, a hacking mucus producing cough, and a sore throat. Slight body aches and mild tiredness can be part of a cold, however fever, headache, and chills, are fairly uncommon. Chest discomfort can be mild to moderate.
Flu symptoms have a rapid onset often within 3 - 6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever (usually lasting 3-4 days with temperatures over 100 degrees F), chills, and severe aches and pains. A nonproductive cough (dry, non-mucus producing cough), headache and severe chest discomfort are common with the flu. Tiredness can be moderate to severe. A stuffy nose, sneezing or sore throat are not as common with the flu but can be present.
Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations. These serious conditions can complicate the flu.
If you are concerned your child has the flu - take him / her to your health care provider. Tests can be done to determine if it is the flu. If it is, determined to be the flu there are things that can be done to lessen the severity and length of the illness such as administering antiviral medication.
Helping To Prevent the Spread of Respiratory Illness
Both colds and flu are spread when a person who has the virus coughs, sneezes, or speaks and sends the the virus into the air. The virus then enters the nose, throat or lungs of a person and multiplies.
You can help prevent the spread of respiratory illness by both teaching your children the steps below and by modeling these behaviors for them.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and throw the tissue away immediately after you use it. If tissues are not available cough into the inside of your elbow - NOT your hands.
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water (15 - 20 seconds), especially after you cough and sneeze. If you are not near water, use an alcohol-based (60 - 95%) hand cleaner.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
• If you get the flu stay home from work, school, and social gatherings, to help prevent others from getting your illness. Children can return to school when symptoms are improving and no fever (without fever reducing medication) has been detected for 24 hours
• Try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. germs often spread this way.
• Getting a flu vaccine lowers your risk of contracting the flu.
We can all do our part in keeping our community healthy during cold and flu season.
Reporting your child's absence to the school
The Washtenaw County Health Department keeps track of flu activity in the area as a part of important infectious disease monitoring. School districts in the county report absence levels of flu like illness to the county each week.
People often refer to gastrointestinal illness, with symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, as the flu. Generally these illnesses are caused by viruses such as the norwalk virus.
True influenza (flu) as described above is an upper respiratory illness with symptoms such as fever, headache, chills, body aches, tiredness, dry cough, nasal congestion and conjunctivitis. Vomiting and diarrhea can accompany these symptoms especially in younger children - but flu means a fever along with upper respiratory illness.
When you call your child in sick and think it might be the flu (respiratory illness) - please specify they are home sick with the flu. If your child is home sick with nausea and vomiting - you can say they are home sick with a stomach virus or stomach bug.
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