Warwick Valley Central School District, along with the Orange County and New York State Departments of Health encourage a routine annual influenza vaccination for all students. Please contact your pediatrician or family physician if you have any questions.
Please review the following information from the New York State Department of Health.
Parents: Fight Flu at Home and School
Influenza (flu), spreads easily and can make people very
sick, especially kids. You can help stop flu!
Flu symptoms include:
Fever or chills, body aches, cough, sore throat, headache, runny or stuffy nose,
feeling very tired. Some people, especially children, may have stomach problems and
diarrhea. Unlike a cold, the flu comes on very suddenly.
Prevent flu!
• Flu vaccine is the best protection against the flu. It is recommended every year for
everyone 6 months and older.
• Get the flu vaccine for you and your children every year! It helps make flu sickness
milder or prevents it altogether.
• Getting the vaccine early in the fall means you and your children will be protected
when flu season starts.
• Make sure people close to your children, like babysitters and relatives,
are also vaccinated.
• The vaccine is especially important for young children and people of all ages with certain
health conditions like asthma, diabetes, and heart or lung conditions. The flu can make
them even sicker.
If your child gets the flu:
• Your child will need plenty of rest and lots of fluids.
• Keep your child home from school for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone
without using fever-control medicine. This helps avoid giving the flu to others.
• Talk with your child’s health care provider before giving a child any
over-the-counter medicine.
• Never give your child or teenager aspirin or any medicine that has aspirin in it.
Aspirin can cause serious problems.
• Young children and those with certain medical conditions, like asthma, diabetes,
and heart or lung disease, are at greater risk for getting seriously ill from the flu.
• If your child gets flu symptoms, call their health care provider and ask if antiviral
treatment is right for them.
• If you are worried about your child, call their health care provider.
Don’t spread flu!
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• If soap and water aren’t handy, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, not your hands. Put used tissues in the trash.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. That’s how germs spread.
• Stay away from people who are sick.
A Guide for Parents
Information from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Is seasonal flu more serious for kids?
Infants and young children are at a greater risk for getting seriously ill from the flu. That’s why the New York State Department of Health recommends that all children 6 months and older get the seasonal flu vaccine.
Flu vaccine may save your child’s life
Most people with seasonal flu are sick for about a week, and then they feel better. But, some people, especially young children, pregnant women, older people, and people with chronic health problems can get very sick. Some can even die. A flu vaccine is the best way to protect your child from seasonal flu. It is recommended for everyone 6 months and older.
What is seasonal flu?
The flu, or influenza, is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs. The flu can spread from person to person.
Flu shot or nasal-spray vaccine?
- Flu shots can be given to children 6 months and older.
- A nasal-spray vaccine can be given to healthy children 2 years and older.
- Children younger than 5 years who have experienced wheezing in the past year- or any child with chronic health problems- should get the flu shot, not the nasal-spray vaccine.
- Children younger than 9 years old who get a vaccine for the first time need two doses.
How else can I protect my child?
- Get the seasonal flu vaccine for yourself.
- Encourage your child’s close contacts to get seasonal flu vaccine, too. This is very important if your child is younger than five or if he or she has a chronic health problem such as asthma (breathing disease) or diabetes (high blood sugar levels). Because children under 6 months can’t be vaccinated, they rely on those around them to get vaccinated.
- Wash your hands often and cover your coughs and sneezes. It’s best to use a tissue and quickly throw it away. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands. This will prevent the spread of germs.
- Tell your children to:
– Stay away from people who are sick
– Clean their hands often
– Keep their hands away from their face, and
– Cover coughs and sneezes to protect others.
What are signs of the flu?
The flu comes on suddenly. Most people with the flu feel very tired and have a high fever, headache, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and sore muscles. Some people, especially children, may also have stomach problems and diarrhea. The cough can last two or more weeks.
How does the flu spread?
People who have the flu usually cough, sneeze, and have a runny nose. The droplets in a cough, sneeze or runny nose contain the flu virus. Other people can get the flu by breathing in these droplets or by getting them in their nose or mouth.
How long can a sick person spread the flu to others?
Most healthy adults may be able to spread the flu from one day before getting sick to up to five days after getting sick. This can be longer in children and in people who don’t fight disease as well (people with weaker immune systems).
What should I use to clean hands?
Wash your children’s hands with soap and water. Wash them for as long as it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice. If soap and water are not handy, use wipes or gels with alcohol in them unless they are visibly soiled. The gels should be rubbed into hands until the hands are dry.
What can I do if my child gets sick?
Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and drinks lots of fluids. Talk with your child’s doctor before giving your child over-the-counter medicine. If your children or teenagers may have the flu, never give them aspirin or medicine that has aspirin in it. It could cause serious problems.
Can my child go to school/ day care with the flu?
No. If your child has the flu, he or she should stay home to rest. This helps avoid giving the flu to other children.