{"id":3780,"date":"2019-01-07T14:53:04","date_gmt":"2019-01-07T14:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdf\/?p=3780"},"modified":"2019-01-22T14:55:10","modified_gmt":"2019-01-22T14:55:10","slug":"staying-healthy-in-cold-flu-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdf\/2019\/01\/07\/staying-healthy-in-cold-flu-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Staying Healthy in Cold &#038; Flu Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-3675\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/01\/4314530838_65c57bb85f_z.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"392\" height=\"261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/01\/4314530838_65c57bb85f_z.jpg 500w, https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/01\/4314530838_65c57bb85f_z-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 392px) 100vw, 392px\" \/>Here\u2019s some useful information from the Center for Disease Control about how you can protect yourself from the flu and how to treat yourself and your host children should you get sick.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It is NOT too late to get a Flu Vaccine. <\/strong>\u00a0Au Pair insurance does not cover immunizations, but there are lots of places to get flu shots for $30 or less.\u00a0Check your local health department or stores with a pharmacy such as CVS, Target and Walgreens. If a host family is insisting that their au pair get a seasonal flu shot and she agrees to get it, the host family would be responsible for the expense.<\/p>\n<p><strong>An Ounce of Prevention<\/strong><br \/>\nThere are steps you can take in your daily life to help protect you from getting the flu.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer<\/li>\n<li>Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.\u00a0 Germs spread this way.<\/li>\n<li>Try to avoid close contact with sick people<\/li>\n<li>Practice good health habits.\u00a0 Get plenty of sleep and exercise, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat healthy food<\/li>\n<li>Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.\u00a0 Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it<\/li>\n<li>If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of fever reducing medicine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Symptoms of the Flu<\/strong><br \/>\nThe flu and the common cold have similar symptoms.\u00a0 It can be difficult to tell the difference between them.\u00a0 Your healthcare provider can give you a test within the first few days of your illness to determine whether or not you have the flu.<\/p>\n<p>In general, the flu is worse than the common cold.\u00a0 Symptoms such as fever, body aches, tiredness, and cough are more common and intense with the flu.<\/p>\n<p>Flu symptoms include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A 100<sup>o<\/sup>F or higher fever or feeling feverish (not everyone with the flu has a fever)<\/li>\n<li>A cough and\/or sore throat<\/li>\n<li>A runny or stuffy nose<\/li>\n<li>Headaches and\/or body aches<\/li>\n<li>Chills<\/li>\n<li>Fatigue<\/li>\n<li>Nausea, vomiting, and\/or diarrhea (most common in children)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Treating the Flu<\/strong><br \/>\nYou can treat flu symptoms without medication by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Getting plenty of rest<\/li>\n<li>Drinking clear fluids like water, broth, sports drinks, or electrolyte beverages to prevent becoming dehydrated<\/li>\n<li>Placing a cool, damp washcloth on your forehead, arms, and legs to reduce discomfort associated with a fever<\/li>\n<li>Putting a humidifier in your room to make breathing easier<\/li>\n<li>Gargling salt water (1:1 ratio warm water to salt) to soothe a sore throat<\/li>\n<li>Covering up with a warm blanket to calm chills<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Children are at higher risk for getting the flu because their immune systems are not fully developed.\u00a0 If your host child gets sick, always ask your host parents before giving any medications to the children.\u00a0 There are strict guidelines for dosages and they MUST be followed.\u00a0 Never give aspirin to children or teenagers who have the flu.\u00a0 Giving aspirin to children with the flu can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye\u2019s Syndrome.\u00a0 Read ingredient labels on over-the-counter medications carefully to ensure they do not contain aspirin.<\/p>\n<p>Photo: Arlington County<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s some useful information from the Center for Disease Control about how you can protect yourself from the flu and how to treat yourself and your host children should you get sick. It is NOT too late to get a Flu Vaccine. \u00a0Au Pair insurance does not cover immunizations, but there are lots of places  <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdf\/2019\/01\/07\/staying-healthy-in-cold-flu-season\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[1166,377,449,499,1096,703],"class_list":["post-3780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-au-pair-tips","category-host-family-tips","tag-cold","tag-flu","tag-health","tag-immunization","tag-influenza","tag-prevention"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Staying Healthy in Cold &amp; Flu Season - Au Pair Chatter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Staying Healthy in Cold &amp; Flu Season - Au Pair Chatter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here\u2019s some useful information from the Center for Disease Control about how you can protect yourself from the flu and how to treat yourself and your host children should you get sick. 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