Good Health Habits for Preventing Seasional Flu

The single best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get vaccinated each year, but good health habits like covering your cough and washing your hands often can help prevent respiratory illnesses like the flu. There also are flu antiviral drugs that can be used to treat and prevent the flu.
1. Avoid close contact.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

2. Stay home when you are sick.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

3. Cover your mouth and nose.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

4. Clean your hands.

Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6. Practice other good health habits.

Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Taken from : Center for Disease Control And Prevention (CDC)

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Treating Kids’ Colds Without Drugs

Several studies show that these products are not effective in children under 6 and can have potentially serious side effects. Dosage guidelines for cold and cold mixtures are based on adult data and thus inaccurate for children. According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the cough and cold medicines that are being withdrawn are:

  • Dimetapp(R) Decongestant Plus Cough Infant Drops,
  • Dimetapp(R) Decongestant Infant Drops,
  • Little Colds(R) Decongestant Plus Cough,
  • Little Colds(R) Multi-Symptom Cold Formula,
  • PEDIACARE(R) Infant Drops Decongestant (containing pseudoephedrine),
  • PEDIACARE(R) Infant Drops Decongestant & Cough (containing pseudoephedrine),
  • PEDIACARE(R) Infant Dropper Decongestant (containing phenylephrine),
  • PEDIACARE(R) Infant Dropper Long-Acting Cough,
  • PEDIACARE(R) Infant Dropper Decongestant & Cough (containing phenylephrine),
  • Robitussin(R) Infant Cough DM Drops,
  • Triaminic(R) Infant & Toddler Thin Strips(R) Decongestant,
  • Triaminic(R) Infant & Toddler Thin Strips(R) Decongestant Plus Cough,
  • TYLENOL(R) Concentrated Infants' Drops Plus Cold,
  • TYLENOL(R) Concentrated Infants' Drops Plus Cold & Cough

Taken from : American Academy of Pediatric

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